Lessons
by Aeryn Phoenix
Summary: NWN2 FemPC/Sand pairing. If Sand knew from the start what it meant to be part of Nai's life, would he have changed anything? Some lessons can only be learned the hard way. Rated M so I can write whatever I want in future chapters.
1. A Lesson in Limits

**A/N:** I should really not be starting a new story, but my muse is a glutton for punishment it seems. This story is something that attacked me during my most recently playthrough of NWN2 when I discovered a conversation with Sand that I'd never seen before. Basically it inspired a one shot (which is now chapter 4 and 5) that bloated itself out into a full blown story. The entire story in general is meant to be a romantic comedy of sorts, so please don't take it too seriously. I don't have a beta reader for this, so feel free to point out typos and inconsistencies to me if you feel the urge. I'm pretty certain there won't be a "Complete" version to this...I mean, we all know how NWN2 ends, and any way you slice it, it doesn't look good for Sand. To be honest, I'm mostly writing this to give myself something happy(ish) and sometimes silly to mess around with for fun. There's a drawing of my future KC Nai on my dA page in case anyone is curious.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong. There will possibly be vague references to certain aspects of the Bishop Romance for NWN2 in future chapters and I do not own any of that either - all credit is due to Domi Sotto.

Oh, and any italicized internal monologues are all Sand - his head is simply much more fun to crawl inside that Nai's.

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**A Lesson in Limits**

"Duncan?" Sand's eyebrows shot up as the filthy tavern owner strode purposefully into the moon elf's shop. "My, this is a surprise. You have not graced me with your presence in…hmm, let's see…an impressive four days now." His expression shifting to disdain, Sand waved the glowering half-elf away. "As I told you then, the supplies for the ale purgative will not be here for another ten-day. Crawl back into your hole until…."

"I'm not here for that you half-copper hedge wizard," Duncan spat. "If I had a choice you can well believe I'd rather dunk my head in hot sewage than seek you out, but…well it wasn't my choice." Sand raised an eyebrow in curiosity as the half-elf stood aside and gestured to a small, hooded figure behind him. "This here's kin."

Standing at well under five feet tall, the demure creature approached and pushed back her hood to meet the moon elf's eyes coolly. Underneath the outer cloak she wore thick robes and a circlet around her brow, marking her as a spellcaster. Her smooth bluish-silver skin blended perfectly with the shoulder length crop of faintly floating hair that framed her delicate, almost childlike face. Faintly glowing pale blue eyes distracted from everything else about her. Sand did his best to keep an expression of only mild interest on his face, but it was not every day that he found an air genasi standing in his shop. _Did he say "kin?"_

"Not really seeing the family resemblance…."

Duncan ignored him. "We need you to take a look at those shards again, a _good_ look this time you charlatan."

"Shards?" Sand finally dragged his eyes away from the genasi, who was still gazing wordlessly at him, and frowned at the barkeep. "You mean those bits of silver you showed me years ago? If you're going to try to pawn them to me again, I'm afraid I've lost interest."

"They're not for sale," the genasi said softly but with a possessiveness that Sand easily picked up on. "We need you see if anything has changed about them since you last looked. That is all."

_How very interesting._ Sand offered her a facial shrug and explained, "Well there was little to tell last time if I recall. They seemed to have lost whatever magical properties they may or may not have possessed, Miss…?"

The young woman's face remained neutral as she stretched out her hand and lay one of the small, unassuming silver shards on the countertop. "Nai Farlong, and I'm fairly sure you will find things have changed since you last examined them."

Duncan fished in the pocket of his apron and produced a similar, slightly more rounded shard and set it beside the first._ Hmm…something **is **different._ Sand frowned and studied the objects silently for a moment, turning each over in his hand before laying them back side by side on the counter.

"Very well," he said authoritatively, pushing his sleeves up above his elbows, "let us see what my keen arcane senses can detect…."

Nai took a nervous step back, her luminescent blue eyes shifting from Sand's face to the shards and back again. "You're going to try to scry them? I don't think that's…."

The violent, sonic explosion took Sand utterly by surprise and he grunted as he was thrown back against his alchemist workbench. _That's going to be a bruise tomorrow._ Jaral, Sand's feline familiar, bolted from an overstuffed chair along the wall, hissing as he darted up the stairs, and Duncan cursed loudly as he picked himself up off the floor. "What in the Nine Hells did you do you damned fool?! Nai…Nai, are you alright?"

The explosion had opened a split in the counter all the way down to the floor, and through the faintly smoking fissure Sand could see the young woman kneeling down, clutching her chest in obvious pain. Sand swept around to crouch beside her, but she was already shrugging Duncan off and pushing herself upright.

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, her hand still pressed to her chest. There was a touch of rebuke in her expression as she looked up at Sand and added, "_Don't_ do that again."

"Certainly not," he assured her. "One demolished counter is enough for me to learn my lesson." He turned to find both shards still stubbornly atop the counter, one on each side of the crack. Retrieving them, he turned them over in his hands thoughtfully again and shook his head. "Are you sure these are the same shards? The power in them…well, it's immense."

"Oh, so _now_ they're magical!" Duncan shook his fist impotently at the frowning moon elf. "Well, I'm not paying you for two failed divinations you thief!"

"It's not a matter of divination, you one tankard drunk."

"Enough." Nai's voice cut them both off and she turned to Sand. "How could you not sense the magic from these shards the first time? I can tell just by holding them."

Duncan snorted, "Because he's incompetent?"

Nai closed her eyes briefly and pinched the bridge of her nose before gazing at Sand expectantly once more. "Since you seem to have been given all the brains in the family," Sand drawled with a sneer at Duncan, "I'll be honest with you. I don't know. Perhaps they were dormant the last time. It is quite a mystery." With a last wondering look and a frown, Sand offered the shards back to Nai.

As she reached for them, Sand's eyes widened in amazement as the shards began to glow faintly. "What…?" he whispered, and pulled the shards back before she could take them. "Watch," he said in answer to the questioning frown she leveled at him.

He captured her outstretched hand in one of his own and turned it palm up, cradling the shards in his other and slowly moving them closer to the genasi. Her eyes widened, just as his had, as she watched the shards brighten until they lay in her palm, pulsing with a pale inner light of their own. "What in the Hells…?"

"There is something about you that makes them resonate," Sand murmured, so intrigued by the discovery that it was several seconds before he realized he was still holding her wrist. A strange thrumming tingle tickled his fingertips where his skin touched hers, some trait of the outsider blood in her veins that sent electric currents across her skin. He was momentarily fascinated by the phenomena – and curious as to just how much control she had over such things – but he relinquished his hold and turned his focus back to the shards.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing more I can offer you," Sand explained with a helpless and mildly frustrated shrug. "You need a historian, not a mage, and that's simply not my area of expertise. What you need to do is speak with Aldanon…."

Nai seemed to only be half listening as the two men rambled about her options, which was best, which would most likely get her killed fastest, but her eyes were almost always on the shards in her hand. Eventually she cut them off with a tired, false smile. "Thank you both. First thing tomorrow I will see what I can do about tracking down this Aldanon."

"It was my pleasure," Sand murmured with a charming bow of his head.

Duncan glowered at him and attempted to steer his niece toward the door. "Practice your fair-weather charms elsewhere, you viper. Come on, lass, you must be starved."

"Thank you, uh…Uncle Duncan," she was clearly still getting used to the term, "but my stomach is still settling from the ship. If you don't mind, I'd rather see if Sand has some of the spell components I'm running low on."

Duncan scowled, but nodded reluctantly. "Alright then, but don't pay a copper more than you usually would! He'd bleed you dry without a second thought."

With a dramatic sigh, Sand pressed his hand to his heart. "Your lack of faith wounds me so. I assure you, I shall treat her with the same respect I would my own kin."

"That worries me even more," Duncan snorted on his way out the door.

As soon as she was sure her kin was truly gone, the air genasi collapsed gracelessly into the large, overstuffed chair that Sand's familiar had previously vacated and dropped her face in her hands. Stunned, and a little terrified that she might be about to make some kind of tearful feminine scene, Sand stared at her awkwardly but after a few silent moments she sat up on the edge of the chair and gave him a rather passive look.

"Sorry," she said, her voice neutral. "I just needed a moment to clear my thoughts. It's been a long trip and you've given me a lot to think about."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to offer you more answers," Sand replied almost warily. "To be honest, I think my curiosity matches your own, and I would be delighted to hear anything more you might discover about these shards."

"Of course." The corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly upward as she stood and approached him, her eyes drifting across his destroyed counter. "A shame about the damage…but I did try to warn you."

Sand scanned the damage with a sigh and shook his head. "You did indeed. Are you by chance a wizard, then?"

"…Yes," she answered with a definite hesitation in her voice. "Of a sort."

His pale blue eyes turned cold as Sand asked flatly, "A sorceress then?"

"Oh, no, I am a wizard for certain," she replied, appearing almost amused by the disgust in his voice. "It's just that…I do not depend on the art alone to defend me." She pushed her cloak back a bit to reveal two mismatched short swords belted at her hips.

_Interesting_. "Well feel free to look around and let me know if you need something. The workbench is at your disposal as well. Anything for Duncan's family." Noting the sour look on the young woman's face, Sand chuckled. "I take it you have not had long to get to know your dear uncle."

"Considering I didn't even know he existed until about three weeks ago, and that I only just met him a little over an hour ago, no not really." With a distracted, introverted frown, she began perusing his shelves as she muttered, "Not that he's any worse than his brother."

Curious in spite of himself, Sand asked, "And his brother would be…?"

"Daeghun," she answered shortly. "The one person who has answers and refuses to give them."

"Hmm, well every family has at least one of those I'm sure. But family secrets, as with all secrets, do not last."

The genasi shook her head and gave him a weary look. "You don't know my foster father. As long as he is set on keeping it to himself, nothing could convince him to reveal it."

"Ah, you are an orphan then. And here I thought some wayward relative of Duncan's had gone off and developed a fetish for elementals."

Instead of being offended, the genasi just shrugged and continued to shop. "Clearly my mother had, but she was no relative of Duncan."

"You speak of her in the past tense," Sand observed, silently questioning why he was so curious about her. _You're obviously just bored._

"She is long dead. Died giving birth to me." Something about the way she said it told Sand the subject was off limits.

"I see." There was a short pause, but Sand found his interest could not be contained. "So you just arrived here by ship, is that what I heard?"

"Mmm, yes from Highcliff," she answered distractedly as she leafed through the pages of an aging text on evocation. "I originally set out from West Harbor, though."

_West Harbor._ Something about that name was eerily familiar to Sand, and not in a pleasant way either, but he couldn't for the life of him place why. He made a mental note to research it later.

Nai gathered a few spell components to resupply her stock, and Sand charged her the exact market price for them, a fact that brought a faint smile to the young woman's lips. "Thank you for everything Sand."

"You are most welcome. Feel free to stop by whenever you'd like, dear girl."


	2. A Lesson in Making Friends

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Making Friends**

"Damn you, Fara, come back here!"

Sand stood up from behind his – new - counter where he'd been arranging potions and blinked in surprise as a streak of white fur dashed through his open door, followed closely by the air genasi he'd met only a few days earlier. _Hmm, she must always wear that hood outside to keep attention off herself._ Cursing, she lunged forward and managed to snatch the squeaking animal before it could get more than halfway across the shop.

"And good morning to you as well," Sand greeted with a curious smirk.

"Sorry, Sand," Nai replied with a rueful shake of her head as she approached the counter, the creature in her hand still struggling indignantly. "She has a mind of her own."

"Your familiar I presume," Sand tried not to sneer at the vermin in her hands. "Interesting color."

The white weasel stopped struggling and turned to study Sand with intelligent, ebony eyes, her little nose sniffing the air intently while Nai stroked her head. "Yes, Father found her while he was hunting. Her mother had rejected her, so Daeghun brought her home for me to care for."

Fara looked up at the air genasi and squeaked. "Yes this is the moon elf I told you about," she said as if it were perfectly normal to have a conversation with an animal. _Oh, gods, so I'm not the only one who talks to their familiar? At least I only do it in private._ The rodent squeaked again and Sand suddenly felt a draft of warm air come from the genasi. _My word, did she just blush? _"That's not very nice, Fara," Nai chided under her breath as the weasel wiggled free and began sniffing around on the countertop.

Sand raised a curious eyebrow, but Nai was purposely avoiding his gaze as she pushed her cowl back from her face. "I suppose I should warn you," Sand commented casually, "I do have a cat around here somewhere. Not that he'd ever willingly hunt anything, of course."

"Oh." She offered him an almost-smirk and said, "Well, I'll make sure Fara doesn't hurt him."

Mirroring her expression, Sand started to reply, "I appreciate th-."

"Where'd ye off an' disappear to, lass?" _That could **only **be the voice of a dwarf._

Nai winced and gave Sand a preemptive apologetic glance as the source of the voice came tromping through the door in all his ale-stained, tavern-brawler glory, followed closely by two females who could not possibly be more different. The wood elf was frumpy and unkempt – Sand found himself scanning her hair for leaves and twigs – and had a perpetual "I am lost" look on her narrow face, while the busty tiefling was inspection the shop with a greedy, wide-eyed glee. "Oooo, look at all the shinies!"

"Off limits, Neeshka," Nai said with a stern look that didn't waver even as the tiefling stuck her lip out in a cute pout. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sand. He's the one Uncle Duncan had examine the shards. Sand this is…everyone. Khelgar, Neeshka, and Elanee, my…well, my companions."

"A pleasure," Sand drawled, amused by the look of embarrassment on Nai's face.

The dwarf bellowed a loud laugh. "Companions indeed! As long as there's a battle by the end o' each day it's fine by me – and the lass here comes with more'n her share o' fights, she does."

Neeshka snorted as she glided around the shop examining but not touching anything. "Only because _you_ start the fights. I swear I almost backstabbed you for ruining my mark yesterday – did you see how big his purse was?"

"Hey now, don't blame me! That fat braggart had it comin' a mile away!"

Looking down her nose at Khelgar, the wood elf said quietly, "Not that it will stop you, but I'm fairly certain you've driven Duncan to the end of his rope."

Neeshka nodded her agreement and said, "She has a point, you know. Smashing that bench over the big guy's head was a bit much."

"Bah," Khelgar waved her off, "but did ye see the look on his face? Ah, it was well worth any…."

Nai sighed heavily and covered her face with one hand as she tuned out the conversation. A bit taken aback – and morbidly fascinated – by the bizarre exchange, Sand leaned over the counter close to her and asked softly, "Are they always like this?"

"No," she muttered without removing her hand, "sometimes they make a scene."

"My, my," Sand glanced up at the still arguing trio and chuckled to himself, "your travels must be utterly delightful."

Finally lifting her head, Nai smiled hopelessly at him and half-shrugged. "At least I never lack for entertainment."

"True, but how do you sleep through that?" Still smiling, Sand started to straighten up when his keen eyes caught sight of something creeping across the counter toward a display of expensive potions. With a disapproving frown his hand darted out and firmly smacked the tip of Neeshka's tail.

"Oww!" she howled, clutching the offended limb to her chest. "That's sensitive you jerk!"

"I thought I said off limits," Nai scowled, crossing her arms over her chest in a stance of disapproving authority.

"I-I know! I was just looking!"

Nai sighed, "Last time I checked your eyes were not in your tail. Please behave yourself."

"Hmph!" Neeshka huffed, sticking her lip out again like a child. "You're no fun."

"Okay, everyone out," Nai ordered with a weary wave of her arm. "Go tell Marshall I'll be there in a few minutes, okay? Thank you."

As the three marched out the door, still squabbling amongst themselves, Nai turned to a strangely bemused Sand with a renewed apologetic look on her delicate face. "I am so sorry to have put you through that. I swear I just can't take them anywhere."

"No need for that, dear girl," Sand chuckled. "It was, as you said, oddly entertaining. How did you manage to gather such a colorful group of…followers?"

Nai tilted her head to the side thoughtfully and used her fingers to count as she recalled, "I met Khelgar over a tavern brawl, saved Neeshka's life from bounty hunters, and Elanee has been spying on me since I was born."

Sand's eyebrows shot up. "Since you were born? Now, we elves judge time by a different measure than the younger races, but even I would lose interest after so many years." He gave her a sly, appraising look. "Unless of course you are more interesting than you already seem."

The corner of Nai's mouth twitched, and Sand again felt a faint warmth emanating from her_. Yes, definitely a blush._ "Probably not," she replied, "but if you're really that curious, just ask Elanee."

"I might have to do just that."

Nai smiled then, an expression that Sand was beginning to recognize as somewhat rare for her, but shook her head and looked around, clearly preparing to leave. "Fara, where are you? Duty calls."

The genasi's hand flew to cover her mouth, and Sand whirled around expecting to see something horrible. Instead, he beheld Nai's familiar perched upright on the bottom stair to the upper level, her nose outstretched to touch Jaral's as the cat posed cautiously a few stairs above her. The two sniffed each other's faces warily, both tense and seemingly ready to bolt at any moment. Sand nearly gaped as his feline companion made a soft, trilling sound deep in his throat, like nothing he'd ever heard from the animal before, and Fara squeaked softly in reply.

Both animals relaxed then and Jaral moved down to the bottom step to sit beside the white weasel. It was all Sand could do to keep his composure as Fara snuggled her nose under Jaral's chin and the cat's little pink tongue shot out as he began grooming her face contentedly.

"Oh…my," the genasi whispered, her hand still over he mouth as she tried unsuccessfully to choke down a giggle. "That is just the cutest thing I've ever seen."

Sand shot her an irritated glance, but her amusement was infectious and he could barely keep hold of his disdain. "That's quite enough, Jaral," he said, pointedly ignoring the look of indifference the cat sent his way. "The girl here needs her rodent back."

Nai's shoulders shook with repressed laughter, but she managed to say with a straight face, "Yes, we'll be late for duty Fara, so come along." The weasel gave the cat one last sweet nuzzle before scampering to Nai and climbing nimbly up her robes.

As Nai pulled her hood up over her head, her familiar curled around the back of her neck and squeaked something in her ear. Biting her lip for a moment, Nai forced her face to be neutral before she said to Sand, "Fara would like to know if we can visit you after we're done with our rounds tonight."

Before Sand could answer, Jaral yowled loudly, and Nai lost her composure and laughed merrily. _Mystra, but she has a lovely laugh. _ "I'll take that as a yes," she chuckled. "See you later, Sand."

Sand nodded and plastered on a false smile until she disappeared out the door, then he scowled darkly at the innocent-looking cat licking his paw on the bottom stair. Scooping him up, Sand plopped Jaral roughly on the counter and scolded, "What have I told you about strange women? You don't even know where she's been!"

Jaral tilted his head slyly and mewed.

"'Making friends'," Sand snorted. "That was more than friendly, and she's not even your own species you simpleton!"

Casually the cat lifted one paw and began grooming himself again, pausing in between licks to meow coyly.

"What do you mean, I'm one to talk?" Sand scowled at the feline. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

Jaral responded with a soft, purring mew.

"I was not flirting!" Sand vehemently denied. "I was just…being friendly." Sand could swear the cat was grinning as he blinked slowly at him, and the moon elf waved him off irritably. "Bah, what do you know? You're just a cat."


	3. A Lesson in Etiquette

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Etiquette**

"How do I look?"

Often such a question coming from female lips would be enough to send a chill of terror down any male's spine – even a centuries old male elf – but Sand was pleasantly surprised that he would not have to think up a lie on this occasion. In fact, he struggled to answer for an entirely different reason.

Nai leaned casually against the doorway of his shop, an almost arrogant expression of pride on her girlish face, as she showed off her new armor. Unlike her usual robes, the leathers were almost shockingly skin tight, accentuating parts of her body that had previously been left to the imagination. _Imagination does not do her justice._ Her smile widened as he stared and she moved across the room toward him, doing a little spin in the middle of the shop to show off the embroidered blue cape – _the __**cape**__, Sand, not the backside of her armor_ – draped down her back. The motion was enough to dislodge the snowy familiar perched on her shoulder, who skittered down the side of Nia's armor and bounded happily toward the overstuffed chair where Jaral was napping.

The air genasi came to a stop beside the opening to Sand's counter so that he would be able to see the whole of her ensemble and gazed at him expectantly. "Well?"

Sand cleared his throat. "Dear girl, you look positively…"

…_perfect? Oh, yes, that's not trite. Ravishing? Lovely? No, it's __**armor**__ Sand. Intimidating? Probably not. She's staring at you, remember? Just say something._

"…dangerous."

Nai's smile faded and Sand flinched internally. "Dangerous?" she repeated doubtfully. "That's the best your brilliant mind could come up with?"

"You should be flattered – I was being honest."

"I just had to ask…."

"Compliments are not my specialty, I'm afraid. Insults on the other hand…."

"I'll remember that the next time my ego needs deflating," the air genasi smirked. "I've been promoted."

"Already? Is the Watch truly that desperate for officers?" Sand smiled innocently at her dark look. "Oh, my mistake. I thought that was your ego I smelled."

"Your attempts to sour my mood will not work I'm afraid," Nai replied lightly. "I feel far too good about this, and I've planned a little-."

Both of them jumped as a resounding bang echoed from his front door. _Did someone just __**kick**__ my door?_

"…surprise." Nai frowned, then stopped Sand when he attempted to move toward the door and said, "No, I'll get it. Pretty sure I know who it is."

"About bloody time!" Sand narrowed his eyes at the red haired human that tromped into his shop, her arms loaded with two trays of food and a bottle of wine. _She stomps louder than the dwarf._ "My arms are about to fall off, not that you care."

"My goodness, you're right, I don't," Sand answered, "and rest assured you will pay for any damage your hooves have done to my door, girl."

"Oh, really?" The human slammed the trays down on the counter, and Nai jerked forward to catch the wine bottle as it tumbled off the edge. "How about this then: I'll turn your precious door to ash and then you and your little girlfriend here can get your own food!"

"Qara." Sand had never heard Nai's voice sound so cold, and he was privately amused as a lightning-like streak of energy twisted down the side of her face and then vanished. "Watch your tongue."

Before Qara could reply, Sand cut in. "Ah, so _this_ is Qara. I should have guessed by that mulish expression, the half-glazed eyes of one who sees but never perceives. I simply must applaud you, dear girl, very few can pull off the 'blind dock prostitute' look, yet you do so impeccably."

"Yes, your mother taught me well," Qara simpered mockingly. "You better keep your wizard on a leash, Nai, before he finds himself in over his head."

Sand snorted, "My dear, you are only a danger to yourself – a lesson I think you will learn the hard way, and sooner rather than later."

"Just give me an excuse and I'll show you how dangerous I can be."

Nai opened her mouth to stop the standoff, but Sand was already waving off the temperamental sorceress. "Yes, yes, you have enough power in your pinky nail to turn half of Neverwinter to ash, we're all terrified. Now get out of my shop before Nai here starts to regret her decision to help you." _Judging by her expression, she already does._

"Help?" Qara spat. "I don't need _anyone's_ help." Turing on her heel, the sorceress stormed through the door, yanking it shut behind her with enough force to crack the doorframe.

"I'll pay for that," Nai muttered, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "What in the Hells was Duncan thinking? I told him not to send Qara!"

"I'm sure it was a thinly veiled attempt to irk me," Sand commented as he began to examine the plates of surprisingly palatable looking food. "What is all this?"

Nai frowned at the door for another moment, then turned back to Sand with a shake of her head to will away any residual thoughts of the unpleasant human. "A celebration," she said, putting on a smile. "Khelgar is already passed out on the Flagon floor, Neeshka is off doing…whatever she does at night that I pretend not to know about, and Elanee is answering the call of nature or some such nonsense, so I had no one to toast my success with." Nai shifted on her feet and gave Sand an almost shy glance. "I…hope this is okay."

"Who am I to deny a woman her whim," Sand teased as he set about clearing a space on his cluttered desk. "Come," he pulled up an extra chair and motioned for her to sit, "tell me all about your glorious rise to power within the City Watch."

And she did. As the pair sipped the not-all-that-bad wine and picked at the overly salted food, Nai spun the tale of her exploits thus far. Sand found himself surprisingly interested as she described not endless hours of uneventful patrols and stacks of mundane reports but clashes with traitorous Watchmen, a rather humorous run in with a member of the Nine, and even a battle with spies from Luskan. _There are always spies from Luskan, but that they should be so obvious is worrying._

"It's been an eventful month, that much is certain," she concluded as she finished her second glass of wine.

"So it would seem. You certainly don't seem to mind getting your hands dirty."

The air genasi shrugged. "I'm a harborman. I was born with my hands dirty."

Sand shook his head wryly. "I must say, it is rather hard to believe that someone raised in a swamp by any relative of Duncan could turn out like you."

Nai tilted her head slyly and studied him with those soft, glowing eyes. "And what am I like, Sand?"

A faint movement behind the young woman drew Sand's attention and he caught his familiar giving him a knowing look from the chair where he and the white weasel were napping. _Oh my, she is flirting with you, and fishing for a compliment all at once. Well, of course she is – she's had two glasses of wine. Well…so have you…._

"You are intriguing," Sand said before he could stop himself. The corner of Nai's mouth turned up in the start of a smile, but Sand was already backpedaling. "In an entirely professional way, of course. That someone so young and untried has survived as well as you have shows a resilience that is rare."

Nai's smile had halted and then faded altogether until she was simply watching him with a neutral expression. "Yes," she eventually said slowly. "Someone as young as I am should be grateful to have stalwart companions to save her from her own inexperience."

_Oh gods she's good._ The statement was so coolly delivered, without a hint of self-deprecation or inflection of any kind that Sand could not help but be impressed. There was simply no right way for him to respond – at least in her mind. "My dear girl, your companions are nothing but overgrown children who wandered the land purposelessly until they crossed your path. You are their strength, not the other way around."

Her face remained utterly placid, giving Sand no clue if she was flattered, annoyed or even believed a word he said. "I appreciate you having dinner with me," she began, somewhat abruptly standing to clear the dishes away. "I know you are a busy elf and it is kind of you to spend time with me before I leave."

"Leave?" Sand found himself standing a bit too quickly as well, so he began helping her load their mess onto the serving trays to cover for his concern. "You're leaving Neverwinter?"

"Yes, for a few weeks," she responded. "I've been sent on assignment to Old Owl Well. An emissary from Waterdeep is way behind schedule and I'm supposed to deliver him to Nasher as soon as possible."

"Old Owl Well is a war zone, my dear," Sand pointed out even as he tried to quiet the alarmed tone in his voice. "Orcs and humans have been fighting over that area for ages."

Nai shrugged noncommittally. "I'm still trying to get into Blacklake, Sand, and if jumping through all these hoops is the only way to gain that right, then so be it."

Sand frowned as she continued to clean up and as she reached for her wineglass, he caught her hand, startling her. Thin tendrils of almost painful electrical energy shot up the moon elf's arm, but he did not flinch as she looked at him expectantly. "Guard yourself," Sand said quietly. "I would hate for someone so intriguing to meet a premature end."

A small smile started to tug at the corner of her mouth as Nai responded. "Don't worry, Sand. I'm resilient."


	4. A Lesson in Selfcontrol

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Self-control**

"Let me in!"

Sand smirked wickedly at the cloaked figure, using his body to block the doorway and keep her from entering his shop. _Oh she is cute when she's desperate._ "And what could a humble wizard like myself possibly do for the Heroine of the City Watch? Shouldn't you be busy saving the world, or rescuing kittens from trees or something?"

From the shadows of her cowl, the young woman's glowing, otherworldly eyes narrowed. "Do not make me tell Brelaina about those illegal reagents you've been selling me. I _am_ that desperate, Sand. Let me in now, before they see me!"

Sand clicked his tongue and pouted, "My, aren't you a bully." With a melodramatic sigh, he stood aside so that Nai could rush in, and she sent one last nervous glance out the door as it shut before she pushed the cowl back from her head. "I owe you," she breathed, her whole body seeming to deflate in relief.

"Mmm, yes well," Sand murmured as he strode back toward the item he'd been working on at the bench before his door was practically thrown off its hinges by her pounding, "I _am_ keeping a running tab you know."

"Just name your price," she muttered as she threw herself into an overstuffed chair and sprawled her petite body out in an entirely unladylike manner.

Sand studied her surreptitiously from the corner of his eye. _You missed her._ As often as she'd found her way into his shop over the last few months, the moon elf still found her features to be fascinating and he had a difficult time keeping his focus off of her after her prolonged absence. Not that he was the kind to be drawn in by appearances, but she was simply so…interesting. _Yes, yes, keep telling yourself that._

"I did not realize you'd returned from your trip already," Sand commented. _Already? It felt like months._

"We arrived late last night," she mumbled tiredly. "They haven't given me a moment's rest since. And yes, Old Owl Well was every bit as pleasant as you predicted it would be."

Sand smiled to himself and admitted, "I am pleased to see you are safe. Still…I am suspicious that your insistence to be let into my shop was largely selfish."

A long pause, and then, "We have a paladin now."

"Ah, so that is the source of the scent of angst and righteousness that clings to you. It creates a rather spicy mix."

"And a gnome."

"I certainly hope you're not saying the paladin is a gnome…."

"Oh, no, Sand, they are certainly two different people," she lamented. "The paladin is a human with a death wish for no obvious reason and the gnome is…well, quite mad, of that I'm certain. And he sings. If you can call it that." Lifting her head from where it had fallen limp against the back of the chair, Nai asked him flatly, "Why me?"

Sand chuckled and shook his head at her. "Surely you see the irony of lamenting your fate when help comes your way, yet not when those githyanki tracked you for miles and drove you from your home."

Shaking her head in disgust, she echoed, "'Help?' Please, Sand. I will forgive you using that word _only_ because I know you've yet to meet the newest additions. I could hire better help from the Moonstone Mask."

"Ah, but then you would have to pay them."

"Which is worth more then, my sanity or my gold? That is a question for the ages." She let her head drop back against the chair once more with a soft thud. "And I thought life had gotten bad when Qara showed up."

Sand's entire posture changed at the mention of the fiery sorceress, rather like a cat whose hackles rise at the appearance of a rival for its territory. "Yes, Qara," he sneered. "Don't get me wrong, Nai, while I…admire…your efforts to save the girl from herself, I cannot help but think you're a complete fool for allowing her under the same roof."

Nai sat up straighter and raised one pale blue eyebrow at the bristling moon elf. "My, you really do have a problem with her don't you? I've never seen you get so irritated simply hearing someone's name."

_Oh that's just wonderful, Sand, very transparent._ Sand cleared his throat and smoothed his robe absently. "Just trying to look out for you, dear girl. You know, Duncan told me what happened outside the Flagon, how you met the sorceress."

Frowning at the memory, Nai nodded, "Yes, she started a fight with some girls from the Academy. They could have burned down the tavern, or the whole block for that matter."

"Yes, well, it's not really that surprising. Qara tends to ridicule the art…not necessarily magic itself, but rather those who must practice it to achieve the level she has been gifted." Sand ground his jaw to keep his next words in check, but Nai followed his thoughts and seized the moment of hesitation.

"You think it is unjust."

"It _is_ unjust," Sand snapped, then clasped his hands before him and forced composure into his next words. _Get a grip, Sand._ "Sometimes…such magics do not come easily for others, and one must sharpen the mind to wield magic as a weapon."

"Like you and I," the air genasi said softly.

"Indeed." Normally Sand would not have dared speak so openly about these kinds of things with anyone, but in Nai he could see a sympathetic ear, if nothing else. _She understands._ "But Qara…she is _dull_ to it. She is the example of what happens when power corrupts…when things are too easy, the soul suffers." Sand's condescension took on an air of pity, perhaps even sadness as he said, "If she does not train herself, learn discipline, then her power will consume her."

Nai sighed and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "I've tried to reach her, Sand. I just don't think there's a way."

"Then that is her choice, dear girl. Just…be careful not to let yourself be dragged down with her," he said quietly. "I worry for you as well."

The air genasi looked up, her luminescent eyes taking on that blank look she used when she didn't want to reveal her emotions. "Me?"

Sand had been around enough women in his centuries of life to recognize that one wrong word and she would be irreparably offended by what she believed was a comparison between herself and Qara. _Not that anyone could blame her for being offended by such._ Ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was whispering reason, Sand stepped in front of her seat and knelt before the young woman, taking one of her small, cool hands between his own.

"My dear girl, you have changed since you first came into my shop not long ago. You have the power to affect the world around you and do so, dramatically. I fear your little adventure has just begun, and yet already you have tremendous power…and that makes you dangerous." _And so very intriguing._

"Power?" she whispered, searching his face. "Help me out here, Sand, because all I see when I look around is a half-breed swamp girl and her merry band of circus freaks."

"Circus freaks who would, who _do_, follow you willingly into death if necessary. You left for Old Owl Well a few weeks ago to seek out an Emissary, and yet return with more who support your cause." Sand shook his head scornfully at her doubtful expression. "You are a leader, Nai, and you are not just responsible for yourself, but for the lives of those who follow you."

Nai sighed – or the air genasi equivalent thereof - a gesture that was like a faint breeze sweeping away from her body. "You know, I seek you out to forget my burdens, not have you remind me of them," she chided softly.

_Oh, gods, she looks so young._ Sand offered her a sad smile and captured one of the loose strands of hair that floated calmly around her face, pushing it aside so he could brush his fingertips across the slope of her cheek. _Have you lost your mind, Sand?_ "And I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your presence. But I will never be anything less than honest with you."

At his touch, Nai's eyebrows had shot up in surprise, and she tilted her head to one side and studied him through narrowed eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with Sand?" she teased, although Sand had the impression she was utterly serious.

_Indeed._ Sand offered her a false smiled and stood to return to his workbench, careful to keep his back toward her to hide his discomfort. All traces of concern vanished from his voice, replaced by his usual sardonic bite. "Yes, well, beings of your caliber are few and far between, I'm afraid, and I would simply hate to see something happen to you."

Eyes still narrowed, Nai studied his back for a long moment, a small smile eventually tugging the corner of her mouth as she stood and eased off her cloak. "Might as well get some work done," she murmured as she hoisted her pack up onto the counter.

An indignant squeak from the pack caused Sand to turn and watch the air genasi pull a white lump of fur from inside the heavy bag. "Your poor familiar," he scolded as the snow-colored weasel uncurled herself and stretched. "It's a wonder you haven't crushed the thing by now."

"It's not my fault she likes to sleep in there," Nai responded, fishing in the pack until she found a piece of some flat, dried food-substance and offered it to the hungry weasel_. Oh wonderful, crumbs everywhere. _The familiar squeaked noisily in between bites, and the air genasi's voice took on an air of amusement. "Fara wants to know where your 'feline better-half' is. Her words, not mine."

"Hmm, yes well, I'm sure the lazy beast is busy earning his keep at the foot of my bed, upstairs." He watched with a bemused headshake as the creature leaped off the counter, scampered down the side of Nai's armor, and bounded for the stairs. "They're going to destroy my room, aren't they?"

"Most certainly. She missed Jaral these last few weeks." The air genasi pulled her spellbook from her pack, sending a sly glance at Sand from the corner of her eye as she added, "She has quite the crush on him."

Sand snorted. _You're seeing things. She's not really looking at you like that, calm down._ "There's no accounting for taste, I suppose. Let us just be thankful they are, ah…physiologically incompatible, hmm? What a nuisance it would be to have to exterminate a plague of mongrel furballs."

Nai chuckled under her breath and carried her spellbook to his desk, where she made herself comfortable. After several minutes of diligently scribing new spells into the book, she noticed Sand watching her from the corner of his eye once more.

Pretending not to notice, Nai frowned at her spellbook, a line of confusion appearing between her brows. "Sand," she called, "could you help me with this? There's something not quite right here…."

_What game is she playing at?_ Sand raised an eyebrow curiously, knowing her to be a meticulous scribe and very unlikely to make mistakes, but he obediently moved to stand beside her chair and lean over the spellbook. "Ah, here is the problem," he pointed out almost immediately. "These symbols are reversed – a simple mistake."

Her eyes not on the spellbook but rather on the elf's face only inches from her own, Nai murmured, "Hmm, yes…how silly of me."

But Sand was not paying her any attention to her attempts at flirtation, his focus still fixated on the spellbook. He frowned as he scanned the pages, turning them carefully and shaking his head slightly. "Are these the only spells you memorize?"

"Hmm?" The genasi snapped her attention back to the book, feeling needled by the disapproval in his tone. "Yes, why do you ask?"

"My dear, there is not a single protective spell in here," he scolded. "Everything in here, even your cantrips, are all offensive spells!"

"Well…it is my specialty, Sand," she pointed out as she stood and leaned her backside against the desk so she could meet his eyes better.

"Even one trained in evocation must be _alive_ to cast spells, Nai." _I sense a Qara-moment forthcoming in three, two…._

"Most times my enemies are vapor before they get anywhere near me, Sand." Nai was beginning to get upset in spite of herself. "And if they are not, I have other ways of defending myself." She reached down and patted the hilt of one of the short swords dangling from her hips. "I'm not a helpless child, Sand."

"Not helpless, but certainly reckless," he retorted. "Don't you have sense enough to protect yourself, girl?"

A thousand scathing replies leaped to the front of the genasi's mind, her indignant anger taking on the form of tiny tendrils of electric energy worming through the air around her, but she was halted in her reply by a thunderous crash.

Sand's arms flew around her protectively at the noise, and they both gaped as a cascade of books tumbled down the stairs, forming a veritable mountain at the bottom. A now-empty bookshelf followed a second later, bumping noisily down the stairs until it slid neatly over the pile of strewn books. Silence descended on the shop. Two pairs of guilty eyes stared at them from the upper floor for a moment, and then vanished without a sound.

Sand ground his teeth and muttered a string of elven curses under his breath, but his expression quickly changed as he realized he was holding the young woman tightly against his chest, her hands clutching the front of his robes. _And showing no signs of letting go._ Looking down at her, he realized just how tiny she was, and the analytical part of his mind wondered what race she was descended from…possibly halfling?

The wind-like presence that surrounded her at all times turned warm and still, almost humid as she gazed intently up into his face, and she made no effort to detach herself from him. "What's really going on, Sand?" Her voice was like a whispered breeze in his ears, her pale, bottomless eyes wide and sincere. "Tell me."

"I…" _Oh come now, you are not at a loss for words, are you? Say something!_ "I-I suppose…I fear for your safety," he admitted eventually. "I find your presence…refreshing, and I am…unwilling to be without it if I can help it." She did not react, but just gazed at him expectantly and he felt inclined to elaborate. "I am not one of your loyal followers and I cannot do anything to keep you safe while you run about doing the bidding of the gods-only-know who. And I suppose…" he glanced up the stairs with a ghost of a smile on his lips, "I suppose I have more in common with my rogue familiar than I'd like to admit."

"You missed me," Nai said matter-of-factly, her hands tightening on his robes.

"Yes," the moon elf confirmed, once more smoothing back the unruly hairs that drifted around her face. "More than that." _You're playing it dangerously close now, Sand old boy._

"And why is that so hard to admit?"

Lifting an eyebrow in amusement, Sand pointed out, "I don't hear you returning the sentiment."

Nai opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it back closed with a confused frown, her fingers nervously fiddling with the silken collar of Sand's robe. "I suppose," she began slowly, "I'm worried that I may offend you."

Torn between surprise and amusement – and becoming increasingly aware of her body pressed against his – Sand asked dumbly, "Offend?"

"I have very few people I can trust, Sand," she said softly as she looked everywhere but at his face. "I could never forgive myself if I stupidly caused tension between us."

"Nai, I think there already is tension between us," Sand replied with a fond chuckle, "and yet I remain strangely unoffended by it."

The air genasi finally met his intent gaze, confusion still written on her delicate face. Only thinking of his desire to reassure her, to calm the quiet fear that loomed behind her glowing eyes, Sand gently tilted her chin up and brushed his lips across hers.

Nai's was motionless under his touch for a moment, but then everything changed. Thin, crackling streaks of lightning twisted across her arms and down the moon elf's chest. Sand barely stifled a gasp as finger-like wisps of air slipped through the fibers if his robes, brushing his bare skin, sliding over the flat plane of his stomach. _Now __**that**__ is interesting._

"Nai," Sand's voice almost trembled, and he was privately awed that the faintest kiss of the air genasi managed to erode the will of a centuries old elf who typically thought of the pleasures of the flesh as far more work than they were worth. Trying to give himself a moment to think with his mind instead of his breeches, Sand pushed her back, forcing her to sit on his cluttered desk. "I think this is a very bad idea."

"Then stop thinking," she murmured with a faint smile, her nimble fingers already working open the front of his robes as she wrapped her thighs around his hips and pulled him snugly against her. "You do far too much thinking as it is."

_Sounds like a plan. And __**gods**__ is she aggressive._ "But your Uncle," the tendrils of wind had expanded, teasing the bare skin of his thighs through his breeches and eliciting a strangled sound of pleasure from the moon elf, "he will kill me."

"I can handle Duncan," she assured him, her smile widening as Sand's fingers found their way to the buckles of her armor in spite of his repeated protests.

_What are you doing Sand?_ Sand inclined his head toward the door and pointed out, "It's not locked, you know." _Let's call it an experiment to test the compatibility of elves and genasi. Yes, let's._

Nai sat forward and brushed her cheek against his, and Sand froze as he just barely heard her murmuring something under her breath, something distinctly arcane. His fingers continued to work open the straps of her armor and the chestpiece came loose in his hands just as he heard the faint _pop_ of his wards activating.

"You're doing an excellent job of distracting me at the moment," he murmured as she pulled back so that he could ease the armor up over her head, leaving her in only her thin padding and underclothes. "But rest assured you will tell me how you knew how to activate my wards."

Smiling coyly, Nai pushed open his robe and ran her hands down his smooth chest, the faint breeze around her gaining strength as her excitement mounted. Unable to restrain himself, Sand captured her face between his hands, pausing for a moment to caress her cheek with his thumb, before pulling her face to his.

A tingling jolt of energy rippled from her lips in response to the hungry kiss, and Sand practically growled in pleasure as the thrumming sensation traveled the length of his body. The wind was rising to a maelstrom and Sand stood in the center of her storm, eagerly exploring her mouth as he deftly freed her of her remaining armor and clothes. He was vaguely aware of whispering something in feverish elvish against the genasi's lips before she sought his mouth once more and he lost all reasonable thought.


	5. A Lesson in Trust and Honesty

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Trust and Honesty**

_Ughh…who in the Nine Hells is beating down my door at this hour?_

Sand tried to open one eye, but he found he lacked the energy for even that miniscule task. His entire body pulsed with a dull ache that wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it took him a long moment to remember what had happened.

Curled against him, Nai groaned and buried her face in his chest. "It's too early for that much noise."

A faint smile touched Sand's lips and he finally managed to open his eyes and look down at the drowsy outsider sharing his bed. _I can't even remember how we got to the bed…._ "I could not agree more," he replied, his voice hoarse. _Gods, but she really did a number on me. Not to say it wasn't worth it of course._

"If you don't make it stop, I'm throwing a lightning bolt out the window," she threatened, motivating him with a weak shove.

Sand sighed, but slowly managed to roll to the side and sit up on the edge of the bed. _I feel like I was electrocuted all night…heh, actually I was, wasn't I?_ He couldn't help but grin to himself as the more intimate moments flickered through his memory. _Ah, yes. Definitely worth it._

Clearing his throat a few times to try to recover his voice, Sand crossed the room to the window wearing absolutely nothing, well aware that Nai had sat partially up and was watching him intently. Pushing aside the sash and opening the small window, Sand leaned his upper body out into the early dawn air and called down, "If you do not cease that racket immediately, I shall be forced to unleash my fearsome hell hound upon you."

Nai giggled, "Did you just call Jaral a fearsome hell hound?"

But Sand had gone ashen as he spotted Duncan's irate visage staring up at him, the half-elf's fury redoubling as he saw Sand's bare chest. "Open this door _now_ Sand!" Duncan bellowed in a voice that threatened to shake the shop's foundation. "I know she's in there!"

"Oh, gods, it's Duncan?" Nai crept up beside Sand and she tried to peek out, but Sand whipped around and practically tackled the genasi, who was, to Sand's overwhelming vexation, giggling madly. "Oh he is going to _kill_ you!"

"What?!" The moon elf stared in horror at the naked young woman in his arms. "You said you could handle him!" _Yes, your voice has risen to a shriek, Sand, just in case you didn't notice._

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she soothed, still grinning, but trying valiantly to straighten her face. "I'm only teasing. I can handle him, don't worry." With a seductive smile, she slid her hands up his sides, caressing his bare back tenderly. "But…those wards aren't going anywhere, you know…we can take our time…."

Sand's half-terrified, half-furious expression made her laugh again, especially since his traitorous body was having the exact opposite response. "Oh, very well," she pouted as she pulled away and began scouring the room for signs of her gear, "spoilsport."

It took nearly ten minutes for them to locate their wayward clothing, most of which they seemed to have brought upstairs with them, but several pieces of Nai's armor and her boots were missing. "They must still be downstairs," Sand muttered nervously, the sound of Duncan's voice becoming more and more booming. _He's going to draw a crowd…well, on the bright side, if I do survive this, maybe it will be good for business._

Nai brushed a faint kiss across his lips and explained, "Here's the plan. We're going to say I fell asleep on that big chair downstairs and you let me rest because you knew how exhausted I was."

Sand blinked at her. "_That _is how you plan to handle Duncan?"

"No, you're right of course Sand. We'll just tell him the truth. I can see it now. 'I'm sorry to have worried you Uncle, but I was far too caught up in making passionate love to Sand on the desk …and then on the stairs…and then in his bed to possibly realize you might have been looking for me. I promise next time I come here for such an event I will give you due notice first.'"

_Oh, my I had forgotten about the stairs…that was…would you stop thinking like a hormone driven youth! Wait, did she say "next time?" Sand, focus!_ "Fine, fine, we'll try it your way. But if it comes down to him or me, my dear girl, I will choose me."

Fighting back a smirk, Nai shrugged and said, "I'll get over it. He's not really my uncle anyway."

_At least she can keep her sense of humor in the face of impending disaster._

Both of their faces fell in complete horrified shock as they emerged at the bottom of the stairs. Sand swallowed hard a few times, his mouth moving wordlessly until he finally managed, "I-I don't think your brilliant plan will work."

The pile of books at the base of the stairs had been flung around the room haphazardly and joined by nearly all of the books off the nearby shelves. The bookshelf that had once been at the top of the stairs had smashed into the alchemist bench and everything atop it was ruined, shattered glass and multicolored potions smeared across everything nearby and puddled on the floor. _I should be grateful none of them exploded I suppose._ Parchment practically covered the floor, and Nai gasped as she spotted one of her boots dangling from a stray nail on one of the rafters.

"Did _I_ do this?" the young woman breathed.

"Yes, yes you _did_." Sand's voice was rapidly rising to a frantic level again, and Nai shot him a dark look.

"Anything _I_ did was in response to what _you_ were doing," she snapped, "and this is really all your fault anyway. If you hadn't-."

"SAND YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME I WILL CLIMB IN THROUGH THAT GODS FORSAKEN WINDOW AND-."

Sand swallowed hard. "This is a disaster."

"Let him in."

Sand stared at the calm genasi. "What?"

"I told you I can handle him and I will. Remove the wards."

"What part of 'him or me' do you not understand, my dear?"

Nai turned to him, her glowing eyes guarded. "Don't you trust me?"

_Worst…question…ever…._

"What does that have to do with _anything_?"

_Ooo, wrong answer._

Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head slightly. "I guess you'll just have to find out the hard way."

Nai brushed one of the small, ornate rings on her thin fingers with her thumb and Sand suddenly found himself paralyzed in place. He listened helplessly as she chanted the words to disable his wards, and their soft pop sent a wave of dread through him.

Raising up on her toes, the air genasi brushed another barely-kiss across his lips. "I regret nothing," she whispered.

The door flew open, but before Duncan could speak a word, Nai threw herself into his arms, her voice high-pitched in relief, "Oh thank the gods!"

…_She's going to blame me…_

Sand's body almost pitched forward onto the floor as the paralysis wore off, and as the stunned half-elf patted his trembling niece his eyes bulged at the sight of the thrashed shop. "What in the Nine Hells happened in here?!"

"Oh Uncle Duncan, it was so horrible!" Nai gasped. "I tried to stop it, but I wasn't strong enough."

…_Oh gods, she's going to blame __**me**__!_

Half-panicked, Sand backed slowly toward the stairs as Duncan's furious gaze fell on him. "Tried to stop what, Nai? Who did this?"

Nai spun around defiantly, one outstretched arm pointing accusingly at-

_Not me?_

-two lumps of fur curled together on the overstuffed chair. "Thrice-damned vermin!" she spat, her face the perfect mask of a angry victim as she glared at the sleeping cat and weasel, neither of which even so much as twitched as she ranted. "It was just so awful, Uncle! I came over to ask Sand about a spell, and Fara knocked over this half-boiled vile of dragon's blood, which tipped over the alchemical silver, and both spilled into the…."

Sand listened in silent awe as Nai painted a tale of arcane mischief that would have surely destroyed half of Faerun had it actually occurred, but Duncan, no student of the art, was none the wiser. He listened, wide eyed, to her absurd account of summoned elementals and "hell hounds," explosions, and partial-invisibility spells that affected only their clothing…hence the reason Sand had been less that decent when he appeared in the window. _Only a drunken fool would believe that one…and I say thank the gods for drunken fools._

"…and that's why we were afraid to lower the wards until we were absolutely sure everything was under control. We couldn't risk loosing these terrors on Neverwinter!" Nai turned a grateful gaze in Sand's direction. "And Sand was so brave, Uncle. He protected me – I owe him my life!"

Duncan's eyebrows shot up at that, and he took a moment to digest this information before picking his way carefully across the floor toward Sand. The wizard tensed, but Duncan merely offered him his hand. "I'm in your debt," Duncan said sincerely, shaking Sand's – trembling - hand firmly. "Come on, Nai, let's get you home. Sounds like you'll need some rest after that ordeal."

Nai nodded gratefully at her uncle. "I'll be there in a moment. I'm going to try to find my spellbook first."

Duncan nodded and Nai quietly closed the door behind him, then she turned with a rather explosive sigh and slouched against the door. Sand stared at her in complete bafflement, and she stared right back at him, her face utterly blank.

Before he could let himself think, Sand strode across the demolished shop, stumbling once or twice over some hidden obstacle, and dragged the genasi firmly to his chest, kissing her in fervent relief. For a moment her wind swirled around them, whistling in his sensitive ears and rustling the papers strewn across the floor. As the rushing ebbed to a gentle breeze once more, Nai pulled back and smiled faintly up at Sand.

"I told you I could handle him," she all but purred. "Do you trust me now?"

"Perhaps," Sand murmured teasingly, although really the confession was much harder for him that she could possibly know.

Her smile widened and she kissed him again softly. "Then maybe you're not completely hopeless after all. Now help me find my spellbook so you can start cleaning up your mess."


	6. A Lesson in Loneliness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Loneliness**

Sand cursed aloud as the boiling potion sputtered and popped, spraying a scorching mist over the back of his hand. Muttering a string of half-intelligible elvish, the wizard picked up a stained, damp rag and nursed his wounded skin. _Another potion burned. You couldn't lose money faster if you gambled it all away, Sand._

Frustrated, the moon elf threw the rag back on the bench with more force than he'd intended, upending an empty vial onto the floor where it shattered into a thousand fragments. Jaral jumped off the bottom stair where he'd been sitting silently and hissed at Sand.

"Don't you take that tone with me," Sand snapped as he stomped off to retrieve a broom. "I'm as miserable as you are."

Jaral flattened his ears back against his skull and growled menacingly at the elf before stalking across the room to the overstuffed chair along the wall.

"Yes it _is_ my fault!" Sand flung his arm up in surrender, seemingly unaware of how ridiculous he looked to be shouting across the room at a cat. "I did the right, responsible thing, and I'm suffering for it! How utterly predictable! In fact, they should write a book about just how wonderfully predictable I have become!"

The cat made what distinctly sounded like a disgusted snort and curled himself up on the chair with his back to Sand.

The wizard glared at the feline for a moment, but slowly his anger faded and he deflated with a weary sigh. With an expression of resignation, he knelt down and began sweeping up the shards of glass.

_Shards…._

Everything he did reminded him of her, the little air genasi who had breezed into his calm, eventless life and turned it all upside down. He could still clearly picture the expression on her face nearly three weeks earlier when he'd done "the right, responsible thing."

She'd just returned from a weeklong venture to track down some backwater farm girl named Shandra Jerro – who, despite the name, bore no resemblance in word or deed that Sand could determine to her ancestor, Ammon Jerro. In fact, Sand judged her to be rather simple and he doubted whether the girl, or even seeking the Jerro Haven for that matter, was worth Nai's time and effort. Even so, Sand's problems had not arisen from anything of Nai's doing, but rather the inner workings of his own mind.

Besides the one glorious night that Sand knew he would never forget – in fact his recent reveries had been spent recalling certain details over and over – they had only found a few moments for stolen kisses and secret glances before Nai had gained her coveted access to Blacklake. Off she had vanished for eight days of trekking through the wild in search of someone who may or may not be of any significance, leaving Sand alone with his thoughts…thoughts that shortly turned to doubts.

_Not doubts, Sand, you just came to your sense is all. It's hard to see the big picture when your libido is blocking the view._

A few days before she'd returned home, Sand had convinced himself that the best thing for both of them would be to forget their "fling" had ever happened. Although he knew she was older than she appeared, and that mentally she was more mature than most people twice her age, Sand could not help but think of her as so _young_. She was certainly no child, but he felt a sense of guilt when he thought too long about how much she had yet to experience in life.

On top of that, their lifestyles were completely opposed. Not that Sand wanted a woman with him everyone moment of the day – in fact the idea of that kind of "closeness" made him shudder – but being without her for weeks, possibly months at a time while he tended his shop and pretended to be content with life as usual, not knowing if she would even survive some battle or ambush was not something Sand was comfortable with. She was an adventurer, and despite the sense he gathered that she wouldn't mind having a more settled existence, it was painfully obvious that she would not be given a reprieve any time soon.

The longer Sand was left alone with his thoughts, the clearer the "right, responsible" choice became. And he had told her so as soon as he managed to get her alone after she returned.

He'd been watching at the window of his shop and just happened to see her and her troupe arrive back, Shandra Jerro in tow. Sand had waited a few moments so as not to appear overeager then made his way over to the Sunken Flagon. The tavern had been busy and crowded, Nai's companions celebrating their small victory raucously - everyone but Nai herself. She and Duncan had been deep in a private conversation just outside the main room.

Nai's face had been drawn and sad, yet her eyes had softened slightly at the sight of Sand in the doorway, managing a pinched smile before turning back to finish her conversation with Duncan. It was not long before she made her way to the elf's side and nodded toward the door.

Once inside the privacy of Sand's shop, Nai had leaned hard against the wall and just stared sadly at the floor for a moment. The elf knew her well enough to understand she was processing something significant, but the longer he was in her presence, the harder it was becoming to remember why he had to end things with her.

"Dear girl, we need to talk," he'd begun. As she faced him and watched him with that neutral, emotionless mask that revealed nothing, Sand had detailed a list of reasons why they should part as friends, how he would never forget their tryst, but that there was simply no future to be had together. As he'd finished speaking, Nai had just stood there, watching him as if she could somehow see into his mind, and it was all Sand could do not to gather her in his arms and ask her to dismiss his words as madness.

"If you think that's for the best."

Nai's calm statement startled the moon elf, and he opened his mouth to respond but found himself speechless. The problem with making one sided decisions born only of his own mind was that he could not see any outcome besides those in his own imagination.

_Well, what did you expect, that she would beg you to change your mind?_

…_yes, actually._

Idiot.

And she'd left his shop. Without another word, without a tear or insult or screaming fit, she'd just left, and Sand felt horrible. He hadn't expected to feel anything, except possibly relief. Now that his mind wasn't busy running through scenarios on how to sever this relationship that had blindsided him and distorted his logic, Sand became acutely aware of how very badly he'd missed her. Sand was fairly sure he didn't know what he wanted anymore, but this wasn't it.

Early the next morning he'd decided he just had to see her, to explain things better or tell her how sorry he was or _something_. Anything to get rid of the stinking guilt that rotted in the pit of his stomach. But it had been too late, and his misery had multiplied.

The Flagon had been in shambles, the furniture broken, dishes strewn across the floor and scorch marks still smoldering on the floorboards. Sal had explained that Shandra had been taken by the githyanki, and off Nai had gone to rescue her…straight into Luskan territory.

"_You can just march your narrow ass right back out of here you viper!" Duncan came storming across the room and Sand thought for one terrifying moment that perhaps Nai had told her uncle the truth out of spite. "I don't know what in the Hells you said to her, but gods Sand couldn't you have been kind to __**someone**__ for once in your life?"_

_Relieved but confused, Sand demanded, "What are you babbling about?"_

_"Nai! The poor girl has enough on her plate to crush a grown man flat but she bears up under it! Even when she begs me for answers I don't have about her mother and West Harbor and the shards, even when she has to run off to the end of civilization to rescue someone she doesn't even know, even then she can keep her spirits. But a few minutes alone with you and she's like a ghost! She's convinced Shandra was kidnapped because she was distracted. Gods, Sand, what did you say to her?"_

Forcing his mind back to the present, Sand sighed heavily and finished cleaning up the broken glass. He hadn't answered Duncan, just drifted back to his shop, put on a false face and gone about his day, and he'd been wearing that false face for three long weeks now. There was nothing more he could do – she was gone. Even if she did survive, she would have had all this time to think about, to stew over, to dissect and rearrange - _as only a female mind can do_ - every part of Sand's cool brush off. The chances of her survival were far greater than Sand's chances of being forgiven.

For lack of anything better to do – and a fear that any more failed potions would bankrupt him – Sand cleaned and refilled Jaral's food and water dishes. The cat stretched and padded lazily over to inspect the bowls, but all he offered the food was a listless sniff before he walked over to the bottom stair and sat down with a sigh. Sand shook his head and slumped down on the step beside his familiar.

"What a pair we make, Jaral," the wizard sighed as he scratched the morose cat under his chin. "At least there's no one around to see us in all our glory."

"Are you certain of that?"

The moon elf was on his feet immediately, forcing himself to look as calm as possible. "Nevalle." Sand leveled an almost-but-not-quite-hostile look at Nasher's right hand man. He hated being startled, and hated even more when someone he usually had the upper hand on in all situations managed to catch him off guard. "To what do I owe the _pleasure_?"

"Your Lord commands your attention be given to something of utmost urgency. One of his faithful has been accused of an unspeakable crime, and by Luskan no less. Lord Nasher requests that you aid the accused in any way possible…and he hopes that you will not need to be reminded that you are under the protection of his good graces."

"No reminder is necessary," Sand assured him. _In fact, this could work out well for me…a desperately needed distraction from my personal problems. _"Just who is this falsely accused person, and what have they done to warrant the attention of Luskan?"

"Her name is Nai Farlong, and she is said to have slaughtered an entire village of unarmed farmers on the Luskan border. She is at the Sunken Flagon now, waiting for you. Good day."

Sand wasn't sure how long he stood there staring at the empty space where Nevalle had just been standing, but he was roused from his stupor when Jaral yowled loudly.

"Save her?" Sand stared at the feline blankly, but slowly understanding began to grow in his mind. "Yes, you're right. Even if she won't forgive me, at least I can keep Luskan from sinking their teeth into her. And if she does forgive me, it would be a double win, really."

Refusing to let himself think any farther than that, Sand marched across the street and into the dim tavern, Jaral trotting happily at his heels. Duncan's scowl darkened at the sight of the moon elf.

"Sand. As if this day could get any worse! What do you want?"

"Actually, I'm here to help," Sand said slowly, trying not to reveal just how uncertain he was now that Nai was sitting watching him. She looked utterly exhausted, her armor and muddy boots stained with blood and grime from weeks of travel. _The accusations against her must have come while she was still on her way back._ She had on that same expressionless look he was used to, but there was some great pain just behind her eyes. "Help your kin, to be more specific."

Qara snorted from her seat by the fire, her filthy boots propped impudently up on the table. "More like 'stick your nose where it doesn't belong.' No one needs your help, wizard."

"Aye," Khelgar spoke up as he drained the last of what was clearly not his first mug of ale, "it seems to me there's already too many people tryin' to 'help.' Can't hear a word of reason anywhere!"

"That's because no one's speaking reason, tubby," Neeshka pointed out. "I for one am getting a little sick of all the talk, talk, talking. Let's just make a run for the city gates – they can't stop _all_ of us."

"Ah, now you're thinking." Sand's eyes narrowed at the lean human he knew as Bishop, some foul creature Duncan had had the misfortune to "befriend." "Although, assassinating that Luskan Ambassador might send a clearer message than running."

"The Lady Nai would never resort to such atrocities!" _Ah, you must be the paladin._ "We must show that she is innocent of this crime, not prove that she is capable of committing that and worse." _A paladin with a point._

"I agree," the elven druidess said softly.

"Me too," Shandra said with a nervous glance around the room. "Now...you becoming a squire tomorrow night is a start, and it'll keep you from low justice, but what then?"

"Then," Sand spoke up as he moved into the room, "Nai will be put on trial here in Neverwinter. Unlike the trial she would have received in Luskan, it will be a fair one. If I just heard correctly, then I assume Nevalle has arranged for you to be come a squire?" Nai nodded up at Sand, and her intent stare was hard for him to ignore, but he continued. "A smart move. It will buy us the time and freedom we will need to build a defense for you."

Bishop's presence loomed behind the much smaller elf. "Assuming she even wants your help."

"It is not a matter of want," Sand replied with a harsh stare. "She will need my experience in this arena."

"Ah, so you have a lot of experience with Luskans." Bishop grinned like a hungry wolf. "Interesting."

"Clearly not as much as some," Sand shot back darkly.

Both men flinched as Nai stood up so abruptly that her chair overturned and slammed to the floor. Without speaking or even looking at anyone, she stalked out of the front room toward the private rooms. A few seconds later they all heard the door to her room slam shut.

"By the Nine Hells what's the matter with you lot!" For once, Duncan's voice commanded authority and a guilty silence hung in the room as he raged. "As if she doesn't have enough to worry about, what with finding out about her mother, that gods damned shard in her chest, babysitting you children for weeks on end and never getting a moment's peace!"

"Shard in her _chest_?" Sand interrupted before he could stop himself.

Qara sneered, "And so the all knowing wizard reveals just how much he actually knows."

The sorceress was ignored and Duncan responded sharply, "Yes, Sand, there's a shard of that sword lodged in her chest. It's been there since she was a babe, and it was the shard that killed her mother. Nai's not taking the news so well."

Sand sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Because finding your family has lied to you your entire life is usually so pleasant," he muttered. Before Duncan could wind himself up to respond, Sand started back out the door. "When she comes out of hiding, tell her I need to speak with her urgently. It _is_ her life at stake after all."

The moon elf spent the next few hours drifting around his shop, mindlessly tidying up and rearranging his shelves just to keep busy. Not that any amount of distractions would keep his mind from wandering. He couldn't stop thinking about that scar on her chest, the one he recalled intimately but had never asked her about. _The shard must be lodged right beside her heart. Removing it would kill her…._

Sand startled a little at a soft knock on his door, his stomach immediately twisting in nervous knots as he moved to answer it. Nai stood silently on the other side, a happily purring Jaral cradled comfortably in her arms. She looked calm now that she had bathed and changed into a simple robe, but there was a ragged, raw look around her eyes that made Sand's heart clench.

"You forgot something," the air genasi said softly as Sand ushered her inside and closed the door behind her. She lay the cat on the overstuffed chair and stroked him a few times, much to Jaral's delight. "I nearly had to pour water on them to get him apart from Fara."

"He's been a mess without her." Nai turned her calm gaze on him at the rough tone in the elf's voice, and Sand stepped closer to her but didn't dare try to touch her. "Are you alright?" _Yes of course she is, Sand, her life is perfectly happy and normal, can't you tell?_

"I know Nevalle twisted your arm to get you to help me," she said, ignoring his question. "I do not want anyone to give me anything unwillingly, so I release you of whatever obligations he imposed upon you."

She moved toward the door, but Sand stepped between her and the exit, his icy blue eyes softer than usual as he gazed down at her neutral expression. "I _want_ to help."

"It will be too awkward," Nai said with a stubborn headshake. "There's tension enough already – I don't need more."

"Please, Nai." Oh gods how he wanted to touch her. "Don't make the mistake of pushing someone away when you need them."

Her eyes sparked with emotion for just a moment, but not long enough for Sand to understand what she was feeling. "Strange words coming from you." Sand flinched at the cold rebuke, but she moved around him toward the door without waiting for a reply. "I will…consider your offer. I will let you know after my vigil tomorrow night."


	7. A Lesson in Comfort

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Comfort**

Sand considered his bed to be one of his few true indulgences. When he'd first settled in his shop years earlier, it had been one of the things he'd insisted upon, and it had actually taken magical means to get the massive four-post frame up the stairs. Despite the fact that he rarely slept, or even relaxed enough to reverie anymore, he found a certain comfort in crawling between the cool sheets, closing his eyes, and letting his mind wander.

But things had changed since his night with Nai and he'd started to resent the soft bed, with all its empty spaces and cold pillows. Any time he tried to rest, his eyes would close and he'd see delicate fingers twisting the sheets, hear breathy cries of pleasure in his sensitive ears, but his hands would find no purchase when he reached out. He felt haunted, for lack of any sensible term, and this ghost was a creation of his own stupidity.

On the night of her vigil, however, Sand had intentionally sought out this luxurious place of torment. Stripped down to nothing, the moon elf slid between the sheets and lay back, welcoming the bittersweet memories as they came. She was out in the cold night, alone with nothing but her thoughts, most likely torturing herself thinking about the people of Ember. For some completely obscure reason, Sand thought it fitting that he should be tormented too.

It wasn't that he loved her – in fact he rather despised that word. It sounded so banal, so abrupt. Any fool could say, "I love you," and then walk out the door and do whatever they pleased. To someone who had lived as long as Sand, that word no longer had meaning. And it wasn't that he was obsessed with her either – that sounded too desperate, too fanatical for Sand's taste. Enamored, intrigued, fond…all the labels he tried to put on his feelings either fell flat or went too far.

The truth was he wanted her. It wasn't a possessiveness or a need, it was a plain and simple _want_. Her presence brought him joy and made him feel at ease, or at least it had before he'd tried to rationalize away what he felt. Her public face was so calm and collected, emotionless and detached when need be, but the other side of her, the private Nai was like a whole other person, laughing and passionate and sharp-witted. In all his centuries of life, Sand had never found someone he wanted like he wanted her, and it shamed him that it took hurting her for him to realize that.

Dawn came more quickly than he had anticipated and Sand blinked at the pale rays of light that illuminated his window. Jaral began to purr as Sand rolled to his side and scratched his familiar fondly. "Just the two of us in this giant bed and you insist on wrapping yourself around my head."

The cat only purred louder and stretched himself out on the pillow. Unwilling to leave his bed, Sand lazed amid the sheets, content to ignore the world for a few more hours. He reasoned that Nai would need to rest after her vigil and he didn't expect to see her until past midday. _If at all._

He'd nearly talked himself into getting up and doing something at least somewhat productive with his time when Jaral suddenly twitched under his hand. The feline's head snapped up and he stared intently at the staircase, his whiskers twitching excitedly. Sand was about to ask the animal what had gotten into him when he felt his wards deactivate.

The moon elf held his breath as he sat up on the bed and stared just as Jaral was. The wards reactivated with their customary pop and Sand was certain it could only be one person. Soft footsteps on the stairs sent Jaral trotting off the bed, mewing as he twined himself between Nai's legs when she appeared at the landing. A puff of white fur dropped down from her shoulder and the two animals vanished down the stairs.

She just stood there staring at him, her expression indecipherable in the shadowy bedroom, her eyes glowing brightly. _She must have come directly from the castle – she's still armed._ Sand considered getting up and going to her, but something stopped him, and it wasn't just his lack of clothing. She seemed to be weighing something in her mind, and the wizard was afraid that any action on his part would affect her decision…whatever it was.

Suddenly, without a word, Nai undid her belt, her weapons clattering noisily to the floor. Sand blinked in surprise but still didn't speak as she let her cloak pool on the floor next and then began to unbuckle her armor methodically, first her chestpiece, boots and bracers, and lastly slipping out of her leather leggings. She'd performed these tasks so often recently that she proved she could do it all by touch, her eyes never leaving Sand's face. Although he wasn't certain it was her intention, Sand found something incredibly erotic about the entire scenario.

But as she moved forward a step, and the light illuminated a dark spot on her armor padding, Sand's blood ran cold. Tucking the sheet hastily around his waist, Sand flew across the cold floor and grabbed her by the shoulders so he could examine the fresh bloodstain on the left side of her abdomen. "By the gods you're wounded, Nai!"

"I'm still standing," she murmured as she shrugged off his grip and twined her arms around his neck in one movement.

Before he could think to protest she fused her lips to his hungrily and Sand reflexively embraced her, responding in spite of himself as her tongue caressed his lips. Something was different about her aura, something...dark that he'd never felt before, heavy and oppressive like a thunderhead on the horizon. Despite this, her skill at distracting him was not lessened by any degree and he shuddered as she trailed her short nails across his scalp and moaned softly against his lips.

Still, he could not forget that she was wounded, that someone had _hurt_ her, and he pushed her back slightly to try to talk sense into her. "Please, my dear, tell me what happened." She ignored him and shoved herself against him harder than necessary, effectively driving him backward toward the bed. "Nai, stop," he whispered in between lusty kisses that he could not help but return feverishly. _Who knew having a woman force herself on you would be so incredibly arousing?_

His knees buckled as they hit the edge of the bed and he sat down hard, biting back a gasp as she slid herself against him and straddled his thighs. The moon elf shivered as the air genasi trailed nibbling kisses along his jaw, down his neck and across the slope of his shoulder, her delicate fingers creeping up to caress the sensitive tip of his ear. The waves of pleasure that erupted from the faint electrical pulses in her fingertips was almost enough to drive Sand to throw her on his bed and ravish her without a second thought to her injury. He was immediately grateful that his centuries of experience had taught him at least some amount of self-control.

He let Nai think she had won, however, and tugged desperately at her armor padding, yanking it up and over her head and dumping it on the floor where her shirt quickly joined it. Grinding his teeth for composure as her bare skin brushed against his, Sand grabbed her wrists and twisted them behind her back forcefully but not hard enough to hurt her. A light, breathy laugh came from the genasi, delighting in his sudden eagerness, until she noticed that his gaze was not on her bare breasts but the bandage that wound around her ribs just below them.

"Who did this?"

Sand's expression was hard and she seemed to sense he would bode no argument. It was still several seconds before she responded, as if she wasn't really sure she could tell him the truth. The single word she finally said sent a wash of loathing across Sand's mind. "Bishop."

Normally Sand would never have considered himself the vengeful sort. He respected the law, mostly because it protected him more often than not, and the idea of killing someone without them standing trial or having their day in court was something he could not defend. However, right then, Sand would have murdered that foul human in cold blood without a second thought, and the sentiment must have showed in his eyes.

"The bandage, Sand," Nai clarified with an almost annoyed clip in her tone. "Bishop bandaged my wound." Sand blinked at her in clear confusion, and the young woman sighed in resignation. "I was attacked during my vigil. Bishop and I managed to kill the assassins, but not before one of them slipped a poisoned dagger between my ribs."

"By Mystra," Sand breathed, releasing her wrists and pulling her in a firm embrace. For an instant she hesitated, as if she didn't know how to respond to his show of emotion, but the tension in his shoulders must have been enough to convince her of his sincerity. Slowly she relaxed against him, closing her eyes as he stroked her short, silky hair fretfully.

"I was able to resist the poison, but I would have bled out if Bishop hadn't been there. He managed to stop the bleeding and bind the wound."

"Then I should thank him." _Instead of disintegrating him_. And then all at once it dawned on him. "Why was Bishop at Solace Glade?"

Again she hesitated, and this time Sand had to squeeze his eyes shut to keep from pushing her back and demanding an answer. _By the Nine Hells, Sand, from murderous rage to blind jealousy just like that – you're spending far too much time among humans._

Finally she sat up, her luminescent eyes honest but a little sad as she answered bluntly, "He wanted to bed me, Sand. I turned him down, and for some unknown reason he respected that and sat with me a while. A good thing he did too or I would be dead by now."

Sand desperately hoped his emotions were not displayed on his face because they were truly doing a number on him. On one hand he was undeniably relieved that she was safe, yet on the other it infuriated him beyond reason to hear of Bishop's advances. And to think that Bishop had seen her, had touched her bare skin to bind her wound, it was enough to make the moon elf see red. But perhaps the most worrying thing of all was the trust he could hear in Nai's voice when she spoke of the human ranger who had possibly saved her life. Even a foolish drunk like Duncan knew the truth. _Bishop cannot be trusted._

Nai seemed content to leave Sand to his thoughts for the moment, her face passive as she absently trailed her fingertips over his lean chest and across his shoulders. Her feather light touch worked to bring him slowly back to the present, his gaze drifting from her eyes to her lips and down over her firm, bare breasts.

"Why did you come here?" Sand asked softly as his eyes were drawn to the silvery scar over her heart. His fingers caressed the mark almost reverently, the thrumming power of the shard tingling under his fingertips.

With a pleased sigh, Nai arched her back a bit under his touch, a warm breeze stirring the hair around her face. "I wanted you," was her simple, breathy answer. Sand grew very still then and seemed to forget to breathe for several heartbeats as he stared at her. Perhaps confused by his silence, Nai tried to explain further.

"This morning I stood before Nasher, before Nevalle and that pompous knight, before that Luskan bitch, and the whole affair was just too much. I wanted to forget, forget for just a few moments that I'm going on trial, that there's a shard of a planar sword in my chest, that all of these people are depending on me. I was going to use you Sand," she said without a touch of remorse in her voice, "and even if it meant nothing, laying with you would still let me forget my situation for a time."

Sand slid one arm around her waist, pulling her hips tightly against him as he cradled her jaw in his other palm and searched her face. "And what if it does mean something?"

"Don't." She was always so careful to control her emotions that Sand was taken aback by the split second of raw pain in her eyes. "Even if there was something…if I left you by yourself for five minutes, you'd think up a dozen new reasons why we shouldn't be together."

"I don't think we will be parted much anymore, my dear," Sand replied, a little amused by the confused frown she answered with. "You do realize that as your lawyer it would be incredibly unprofessional of me not to accompany you while you seek evidence in your defense."

"You were planning to come to Port Llast with me?"

"No, I _am_ coming to Port Llast with you," the moon elf said firmly. "I have been charged with a duty to prove your innocence and I will do so, infallibly."

Nai looked frustrated as she started, "Sand, I told you, I don't want-."

Sand put his fingers over her lips to silence her. "I made a mistake. A very, very stupid one. You might want to make a note of this moment because you will probably never hear me say those words again." It warmed Sand to see a small smile tugging the corner of her lips. "Please don't deny me the chance to defend you. Forgive me, Nai."

The air genasi swallowed hard and studied him for a long moment. "It's going to be a long journey," she said in a measured voice.

Relieved that she was not fighting him, Sand smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm sure I've taken longer before. You will not regret this." Taking the small woman gently by the shoulders, Sand tried to push her to her feet. "And now I think it's well past your bedtime, dear girl. You must be exhausted."

Nai resisted, though, tightening her thighs around his hips with a challenging, narrow-eyed stare. The friction she created as she scooted closer to him, and the acute proximity of her bare skin made Sand inhale sharply. "Unfortunately, I think I've gotten my second wind," she murmured seductively. "There's simply no way I'll fall asleep now…unless you can think of a way to exhaust me."

Smiling, Sand twisted with her in his arms, relishing the look of pleased surprise in her eyes to find his gentle weight suddenly pinning her to the bed. "I believe I might know a way..."


	8. A Lesson in Learning

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Learning**

Learning was something Sand had always enjoyed. He discovered at an early age that knowledge was the most valuable product in the realms, a commodity that could be bartered or traded, but almost never lost or stolen. There was something thrilling about having the upper hand, outmaneuvering his opponent without ever getting up from his seat, and all because he had learned something that they had not. Traveling with Nai, however, reminded him of some unflattering truths about "learning."

For example, he'd been thrilled to learn that Qara would not be accompanying them to Port Llast, a discovery he could have kissed Nai's feet for – in fact he vowed to do just that as soon as they were alone…and bathed. Yet in the same breath, she confirmed that Bishop and that half-witted gnome would be coming along, thereby negating the joy he'd gleaned from what he'd previously learned. It was a bittersweet moment.

And the bitter quickly outweighed the sweet as Sand was forced to relearn why he hated traveling so much. It was the little things, really. Almost every day he spent nearly thirty minutes tightening, adjusting and buckling his heavy boots so they would not chafe his feet, only to have a stone somehow miraculously make its way inside as they tromped down the rocky trails. He would then be forced to limp for several miles or risk being left behind since Bishop did most of the navigating and he utterly refused to stop for "no reason." And of course there was that wonderful night when Nai put Grobnar on first watch and the gnome had attempted to write music to the sonorous snoring of Neeshka and Shandra. It was at that moment that Sand learned to invest in earplugs.

Of course, he'd also begun to learn a great deal about Nai that he would never have had the chance to otherwise witness. For one, in a stroke of genius she had sent Casavir and Khelgar to Old Owl Well to speak with Commander Collum, hoping he would be a witness for them at her trial. The Commander's status and reputation made him personally untouchable by the Luskans unless they wished to bring all of Neverwinter down on their heads, a highly credible character witness for Nai if there ever was one.

Sand was also deeply surprised one day to find Elanee and the air genasi speaking casually in elvish.

"You didn't tell me you spoke elvish," Sand murmured as he found them somewhat alone for a few moments.

Nai looked mildly surprised and shrugged. "You didn't ask. I never hear you speak elvish much…except…" her voice dropped very low and a small, teasing smile graced her lips, "well a few times…in private…."

Sand cleared his throat and tried to stifle the blush he could feel burning the tips of his ears. "Ah, so you understood that did you? That is a bit embarrassing_." Yes, but well worth the look she's giving you right now._ "But tell me, where did you learn to speak so well? You have no accent at all."

"My foster father is one of the wild elves. I think I learned to speak elvish even before common."

Perhaps the most surprising thing he learned about Nai – although thinking about it later he would decide that it made perfect sense - was that people were afraid of her, and she almost never hesitated to use that to her advantage. The true reason she always wore a cowl over her head was not to attract less attention as he'd first suspected, but rather to make her appearance more mysterious. Her voice was always calm and even, no emotion in her expression or tone, and Sand sometimes found it amusing to see burly men cowed by the tiny woman with glowing eyes.

Oddly enough, collecting evidence in Nai's defense proved to be relatively easy. If Sand thought about it too hard, it would have worried him that Luskan had been so sloppy in their efforts to frame her, but he kept his doubts to himself_. No need to get everyone worried for nothing._ As they made their way back toward Neverwinter, Nai was in high spirits, and that was enough for him.

Sand had been walking and jotting notes for the trial – a talent he was secretly proud of – lost in his own thoughts for some time. Shandra's worried voice beside him gave him quite the start.

"I don't like him."

The moon elf blinked dumbly at the blonde woman, his mind still clouded with thoughts of the trial. "And what lucky gentlemen are you referring to, dear girl?"

Shandra gave him an annoyed glance then nodded her head toward the front of their ragged marching formation. The wizard's eyes narrowed and he fought down a surge of jealousy at the sight of Nai and Bishop walking side by side – _and too close together_ – deep in conversation. Nai was not smiling or flirting in any way that Sand could see, but neither was she scowling or disgusted. In fact she looked rather intrigued by whatever the ranger was saying.

"You okay there, Sand?" Shandra had a mildly bemused look in her eyes as she smirked at the moon elf, but the dark glance he shot her before turning his gaze back to the pair ahead of them effectively silenced the human.

"Needless to say, I don't like him either," Sand murmured quietly.

He found he could not focus on his notes after that, and Sand was grateful as the sun dipped toward the horizon and they called a halt for the day. "We should be back in Neverwinter before sunset tomorrow," Bishop commented to no one in particular as they began to set camp. "Get this sham of a trial over with sooner than they'd anticipated."

"Yes," Nai said without looking up from the fire she was building, "and how much more satisfying to beat them at a rigged game of their own design? I say let them do their worst." Sand almost smiled at the challenge in her voice, the eagerness to take on the odds that had recently tipped in their favor.

Bishop responded with only a shrug before vanishing off into the woods to hunt or rape helpless farmer's daughters or whatever it was he did out there. Sand thought he spotted Bishop's mongrel wolf companion watching them from the shadows outside the firelight, but it could have just been his imagination.

They took turns washing the grime from their bodies in a nearby stream, despite that its banks were edged with ice. In spite of his distaste for nature – nature being really mostly dirt and bugs – Sand welcomed the chance to rid his frame of what felt like several pounds of dust.

The fire was barely visible from down by the water's edge, and Sand felt ill at ease among the silent trees. _You've spent far too much time in human cities you silly elf._ Easing off his robe, Sand knelt beside the stream wearing only his breeches and cupped his hands in the icy water to splash it across his face. After the third splash, his blurred sight noticed a pair of flashing eyes watching him from the shadows across the water.

Sand rose slowly to his feet as Karnwyr moved silently closer, the large wolf's eyes never leaving the elf's face. "Nice puppy," Sand muttered, afraid to take his eyes off the animal but certain that Bishop was somewhere nearby. The wolf revealed sharp canines at the sound of Sand's voice, a low growl rumbling in his throat. "Now, now…let's not do something we'll regret, hmm?"

"He's a wolf." Sand's bare skin crawled as Bishop's cold voice came from the shadows beside him. "He doesn't regret."

Determining the man to be more dangerous than the beast, Sand tore his eyes off Karnwyr and faced Bishop. The human was bare-chested as well, probably having come here for his own bath – _although judging by his smell, that is a rare occurrence indeed_ – and he leaned easily against the trunk of a tree. Sand knew better than to think him any less dangerous.

"Something you have in common, then?" Sand answered coolly despite his heart hammering in his chest. _What are the odds of successfully casting a spell with a dagger in your gut and a wolf chewing off your arm? Probably not very high._

Bishop's eyes flickered to the still growling wolf, and a look crossed his face that could have been called "fond" had it not come from Bishop. "One of many things. For one," the human pushed himself upright and began to circle Sand slowly, "he has this uncanny ability to read body language." Bishop stopped in front of the much smaller elf and stared down at him. "It's amazing what the body says even when the lips deny it."

Hoping he appeared unintimidated, Sand raised an eyebrow and sighed, "I assume there's a point to this."

"I had a hunch something was going on that dear Uncle Duncan would not approve of," the ranger growled. "And after I saved her hide and she ran straight to you, I knew for sure."

Sand's lips drew together in a thin line as a flush of panic raced through his mind_. This is very, very bad._ "Is this the part where you threaten to dismember me if I hurt her? Because I really never pegged you as the protective sort, Bishop."

"Oh, no quite the contrary," the human responded with a frigid chuckle. "I'm hoping you _do_ hurt her, hurt her _bad_. The way I see it, I'm next in line for a turn with her, don't you think? She treats the rest of them like siblings at best, but I don't know…" the ranger scratched his scruffy chin thoughtfully, his eyes mocking and cruel, "sometimes the way she looks at me…."

Sand's teeth ground audibly as he fought down the almost overwhelming desire to destroy the man standing before him. Fortunately – or unfortunately depending upon the perspective – both men were startled into silence.

"Am I interrupting something?" Both men flinched and looked up at Nai's face, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at them through coldly glowing eyes.

"Of course not," Bishop murmured with a sly grin. "I just came to ask the elf here if I can borrow the soap."

Nai's eyes narrowed, but rigid posture relaxed a notch. "I'm sure."

Bishop smirked as he slid past her toward the camp, his bare arm brushing against her intentionally. "Early start tomorrow, kids…better get some rest."

Nai frowned as she watched him walk back up to the camp, and as soon as she was sure he was out of earshot she stepped up close to Sand. "What in the Nine Hells was that?"

"He knows," Sand said coldly, his eyes lingering on the camp for a moment before focusing on the startled air genasi. "About us."

"What? How? I mean, not that it matters really how he knows, but…."

"No, you're right about that." Sand allowed himself a moment to study her face, now the closest she'd been to him in weeks. _Damn this traveling._ "The only thing that matters is that he does know. That knowledge could be dangerous. He could use it against you."

"I'm not worried, Sand," she said with a doubtful frown. "I don't see what he could possibly gain by telling anyone."

_So naïve…._

Sand sighed and brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "Go get some rest, my dear. Once we're back in Neverwinter we will be very busy for a while I think."

Nai smiled, her eyes lighting up in a rare moment of real emotion from her, and before he could protest she wrapped her arms around his neck, her leathers rough against his bare chest, and kissed him passionately. "And after the trial," she whispered against his parted lips, "you and I will be busy for a while I think."


	9. A Lesson in Trials

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Trials**

Sand was gloating. He knew it was a dangerous indulgence considering that the verdict had not yet been given, and of course it could possibly make him sloppy, but by the looks of things there was really no chance of the Luskan Ambassador turning things in her favor. Not only had they found overwhelming evidence to support Nai's innocence, not only had they managed to discredit the "eye witness" that Torio presented, _not only_ had Nai made the Ambassador look like an uncultured fool when the air genasi responded to a loaded question with a veritable fountain of historical quotes of previous Luskan attempts to corrupt and undermine Neverwinter and its citizens, but that was all before Sand had the chance to call a single witness. So, as Commander Collum came forward, the smug moon elf could not help but smile at the human woman across the room from him. Had he not been so sure of himself, Sand would have been worried when she smiled back.

The wizard allowed his attention to wander to Nai sitting beside him. If she was nervous then she was doing a commendable job keeping it to herself as she sat calmly watching the courtroom. In an attempt to downplay her unusual nature, she'd donned a simple, light colored dress that showed just a hint of cleavage – _to, ahem…make her seem more human_ – and an embroidered white bandana was tied over her hair to keep it out of her face. She looked tiny and almost frail, which was exactly what they wanted. _Besides, she looks lovely._

"…so Commander," Torio was saying, and her tone as well as the cruel smile she was leveling across the room at Sand brought the moon elf's attention back to the proceedings, "I suppose it would surprise you then to learn that the defendant's own council is in fact…a Luskan."

And time ground to a halt. Sand's eyes stayed locked on the Ambassador, her smile widening until he expected her to throw back her head and cackle like the witch she most certainly was. The mocking smile Sand had been wearing was frozen on his face, and a tiny rational voice in the back of his head reminded him that if he didn't take a breath soon he'd probably faint. _That would not go over well at this point, I think._

"That…_banshee_!" he hissed, only then aware that the eyes of the court were on him, including those of Nai and Commander Collum. Sand could not bring himself to look at the woman beside him. _You should have just told her before!_

"Indeed," Collum was saying, his voice carefully neutral, "I did not know that."

Nai half-stood from her seat, her weight resting on her hands planted on the table as she stared hard at Torio. "I certainly hope you're not implying that a Luskan cannot be trusted, because if so then you damn yourself as well."

The human woman smiled sweetly. "I imply no such thing. I was merely-."

"No, the Squire is right," the dwarven commander interrupted, sharing a knowing look with Nai. "You cannot condemn a fellow Luskan without bringing it down upon yourself as well. This trial is about the people of Ember, and the life of an innocent woman, not your attempts to undermine the process and those involved therein."

Surprised and still reeling under the Ambassador's unexpected disclosure of personal information he'd thought well buried, Sand watched as the trial slid right back on track. A glance at Nai revealed the same calm exterior, as if nothing had happened. _Maybe she's not angry?_ He put a gentle hand on Nai's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Well done."

She did not reply, but her muscles twitched under his touch and he felt a sharp shock of electricity crackle up the tips of his fingers. Biting back a hiss of pain, Sand retreated, rubbing his sore hand under the table. _There's your answer._

But, when the trail was over and Nasher rose and proclaimed Nai's undeniable innocence as well as named the Arcane Brotherhood as the true responsible party for Ember's destruction, Nai was nothing but happiness. She rarely smiled in public, but the joy that radiated from her as she looked up at Sand was breathtaking. _Yes, she's beautiful now, but just wait until she gets you in private and castrates you for not telling her about your past._

"I demand the right of Trial by Combat!"

Stunned, Sand blinked at the fuming Ambassador, praying that his ears had deceived him. But of course they hadn't. "Gods…I was hoping she didn't know about that."

"Hoping?" All traces of joy now gone, Nai's hands were balled into fists, her angry, flashing eyes a sharp contrast to her calm voice. "Just as you were _hoping_ she wouldn't know you are a _Luskan_?"

The slight stung more than she realized, mostly because Sand felt like an amateur for having underestimated any opponent – especially a human woman without a stitch of magical talent, and from Luskan of all places – but their current situation did not leave any time for argument. _Oh, yes, there will be plenty of time for that later I'm sure._

"Who will stand as Luskan's Champion, as one to defend the people of Ember?" The silence that followed gave Sand hope that perhaps Torio's last desperate ploy would prove futile.

"I will."

Sand's eyes went wide as the lumbering ox of a man thundered through the open door, but beside him Nai grew very still. Even the wind that followed her that had very recently been tugging at the edges of Sand's robe from her irritation went silent. Her eyes were locked on the man's face, but there was no fear, no surprise even, just something strangely akin to pity under her emotionless mask.

"So be it." The somber judge looked over the courtroom as he said, "You have until sunset to prepare yourselves for the Rite of Tyr. Report to the temple before then, and may the gods decide your fate."

Nai was up and striding toward the door before Sand could blink, Shandra right on her heels, leaving him scrambling to gather his papers. He looked up to see Nai standing just inside the courtroom, her eyes staring up – _**way**__ up_ – into the Luskan Champion's sneering face. _Oh gods, she's barely taller than his navel!_ Clearly undaunted, the air genasi leaned toward him on her toes and said something under her breath, something that made the brute's eyes widen before narrowing to a vicious snarl.

But Nai did not wait for him to respond, her breeze stirring the fur on the Luskan's armor as she moved proudly past him and out of the castle. Sand, still struggling to keep the mass of papers from spilling from his hands into the street, had to force himself not to catch up to her. Shandra was already babbling on at an insane rate about the unfairness of it all and Sand did not want to burden her with more than she was already forced to bear.

Once they arrived back at the docks, Sand literally sprinted into his shop and dumped the armload of papers on his desk, rushing back out to catch up with the two women. As soon as they were inside the Flagon, Nai headed straight to her room, and ignoring the still rambling human and the elf trailing behind, she slammed her bedroom door shut in their faces. Shandra scowled at the door for a few seconds then shouted, "I'm just trying to help!"

"Yes, and failing miserably," Sand muttered as he gently guided the woman away from the door. "Why don't you go yell at Grobnar to get some of that nervous energy worked out and leave Nai to me, hmm?"

Shandra gave him a withering glare, but stomped off down the hall toward the main room of the tavern. Sand took a moment to calm himself, smoothing his hair and robe as if that would somehow make things easier before quietly opening her door to let himself inside.

Of course he would happen to walk in just as she was hauling her dress up and over her head. The moon elf swallowed hard as he attempted not to leer at her near-nude profile, and while she must have heard him come in, Nai was completely ignoring him. "My dear, please…" he started softly.

Nai rounded on him, her body completely bare from the waist up, her eyes flashing in her otherwise calm face. "How could you?" she whispered.

_My, it is distracting trying to have a real conversation with a bare breasted woman you've shared your bed with._ "I didn't think it mattered," Sand answered lamely.

Nai stared at him as if he'd just grown a third eye in the center of his forehead, then shook her head and began yanking on her clothes and armor. "Unbelievable," she ranted to herself. "Of course it wouldn't matter. Why would it matter that Luskan tried to frame me for the murder of an entire village and then I come to find out during the trial that my own councilor is from Luskan as well? It makes absolutely _no_ sense that I'm pissed off. I'm _overreacting_."

"Nai, please," Sand stepped close to her in spite of the little wisps of energy streaking through the air around her, his hands outstretched to help her buckle her armor. "I spent time in Luskan at one point in my life, yes. I was not born there, and when I found that the things I sought there came with a higher price than I could have imagined, I eventually left. In exchange for my knowledge, Nasher has given me a safe place to live out my life."

The air genasi listened to his words with a look of stubborn indignation, but she allowed him to help with her armor and her face softened from anger to hurt as she turned to face him. "You should have told me."

"Call me a fool," Sand sighed, "but I honestly did not think it mattered. How Torio learned of my past is a mystery." His brow furrowed in genuine concern, Sand slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, cupping her cheek in his other hand. "I did not mean to hurt you, my dear. If you want, I will write you a full autobiography with all the sordid details for you to peruse at your leisure."

Fighting back a smile, Nai shook her head but kissed him lightly on the lips. There was sadness and worry in her eyes when she pulled away. "If I survive this Trial, I may just hold you to that."

The image of the Luskan brute that would tomorrow be trying to kill the woman in his arms resurfaced in Sand's mind and a strange panic gripped him. All at once his embrace turned fierce, his face buried in the tingling static of her soft hair as he crushed her against his chest. Nai was trembling as her fingers dug painfully into his back, her own fear washing over them like an icy wind, and Sand's voice cracked as he whispered, "A'maelamin." _My beloved._

The word – or confession perhaps – hung in the air and Nai grew very still as Sand eventually eased his grip, but she did not pull away. Finally she raised her face to smile wanly at him and Sand's heart almost broke to see a single tear, the first he'd ever seen her shed, trace a faint line down her cheek. "I bet you say that to all your lovers before they face death," she softly teased.

Not quite sure if he had said what he thought he said, and more than a little terrified if he had, Sand cleared his throat and replied, "You did not seem so certain of your demise when you first saw your challenger. Whatever did you say to that beast that angered him so?" _Yes, change the subject, quick._

Nai shut her eyes for a moment, a look of sadness and frustration playing across her features. "I told him his mother would be ashamed of him," she answered in a pinched voice. "He is a harborman, Sand, from my village."

Sand was truly surprised by her words, and there was a long pause before he shook his head ruefully. "And now he sides with Luskan, with this Black Garius. I am sorry, my dear, this must be hard for you."

With a sigh, Nai pulled away from the elf and began belting on her weapons. "Lorne was never a good man, but he was never a villain either. Whatever hold this Garius has over him must run deep."

"Sometimes all it takes is the promise of power."

The air genasi paused but did not look up at Sand before continuing to arm herself. "You'll forgive me if I choose to think better of a man I used to catch tadpoles with in the pond on his family's lands. Of course," she gave a bitter chuckle, "we were the same height back then."

Worried, Sand caught her hand as she reached for a cloak and forced her to look up at him. "Nai, he is not that person anymore. He _will_ kill you tomorrow, and you must not hesitate to do what is necessary."

"I know Sand," she replied with a reassuring squeeze of his hand. "I just…don't know how I'll be able to face his mother after this."

Sand could think of nothing to say to that, and with heavy heart they fell into silence as Sand helped her straighten her cape. Satisfied that she was as prepared as possible, Nai started toward the door, then made a small sound of surprise as she reached for her pack.

"I almost forgot," she explained as she extracted her protesting familiar from the depths of the bag. "Can you keep her at the shop with you tonight? I'm afraid if she'll do something stupid like chew up Qara's shoes and I'll have to hear about it for a month."

"Of course," Sand said as the white weasel hopped from Nai's hand to his shoulder, her little claws clutching his robes for balance. "Jaral will be most pleased."

"Good." She opened the door to her room and turned to him again. "I'm sorry, but it's just easier this way." Without waiting for a reply she muttered the words to a spell under her breath and vanished before his eyes. Invisible to everyone in the inn, most of them being her companions, Nai slipped out the front door of the Flagon and made her way toward the temple.


	10. A Lesson in Subtlety

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Subtlety**

Sand couldn't blame Nai for sneaking out of the tavern as she had. When he emerged from her room with her familiar perched on his shoulder, he'd been accosted by her mob of angry/worried/obnoxious followers/leeches, all demanding to know where she had gone. He'd tried to tell them to leave her be, to let her deal with things as she saw fit, but of course that just made them do the exact opposite. So, when Sand downed the bland invisibility potion and sneaked into the temple of Tyr, he was not really all that surprised to see Nai speaking with someone. He was surprised, and unpleasantly so, to find that it was Bishop.

"If your friend out there decides to cheat," Bishop was saying as he stalked in a half-circle in front of the air genasi, "or poison you, or slit your hamstring, which he _will_ do if you give him the chance, then you should be ready to do the same."

Nai was leaning sideways against the far wall, her body in profile but her face turned toward Bishop so that Sand had a clear view of her expression. "I can beat Lorne without lowering myself to his level," she said quietly.

Even though Bishop's back was to him, Sand could picture the evil grin on his face as he said, "But it's so much more fun at his level. You know," the ranger stepped closer to the tiny woman and it was everything Sand could do to keep from sticking a dagger in the man's back as he reached out to brush Nai's cheek with his fingertips, "there's really no reason for a sweet little girl like you to have to face a monster like that. Maybe…maybe I would fight in your place, even. If you ask me really nicely."

Nai's eyes narrowed slightly, but other than that she did not move. "I can handle it, Bishop."

The human's hand strayed on her cheek for another few seconds then fell back to his side. "Then handle it," he said in a low voice that quickly turned harsh. "And don't die, girl. Luskans like Lorne are bred to eat little nuisances like you for breakfast." Bishop startled them all, including himself it seemed, by jerking forward and planting a rough, quick kiss on Nai's cheek.

Sand, still invisible, stepped forward instantly, his hands moving in the motions of a spell that would at the very least incapacitate the impertinent bastard, but the moon elf managed to stop himself before casting the silent spell. Bishop was already out the door, and the look on Nai's face assured Sand that she had received no pleasure from the ranger's advances. At least, he hoped that's what he saw.

The air genasi sighed as she pushed herself off the wall and began to walk toward the bench next to Sand, but before she could reach it, his potion wore off. Nai stopped in the center of the room and looked at him, and the moon elf knew that his anger showed in his eyes. "You saw that, huh?" she said quietly.

"It made for a most amusing study in psychology," Sand murmured. "Specifically the psychology of mating rituals."

A heavy sigh swept outward from the young woman's body as she completed her journey to the bench and slumped down with a weary look at her lover. "And what would you have me do, Sand? Kill him for having the audacity to touch me?"

"Certainly not, my dear," Sand said, his face utterly serious. "That would be my job."

With an attempt to change the subject, Nai looked up at him through half-lidded eyes and teased, "What would be? Killing him, or touching me?"

Sand looked down at her and fought back the urge to kiss her full, curving lips. "Both, if you would give me the pleasure," he replied coldly.

Nai sighed again and rubbed her temples as if her head were pounding. "I don't have the energy for this tonight, Sand. If I'm not dead in a few hours, we can talk about your interest in slaying all other men within twenty leagues of me then, okay?"

_You idiot, stop giving her more to worry about._

Sand took a deep breath and pushed the image of Bishop out of his mind as he sat down beside her. "I'm sorry, dear girl, forgive me. I am…worried for you as well. That's why I'm here."

Nai turned her head and gave him an odd look. "Don't tell me you're here to convince me to cheat as well."

"No, no," Sand replied as he opened the satchel hanging from his shoulder, "I assure you, my methods are within the terms of this duel." _If only just barely._

Without waiting for her to speak, Sand stood up and gestured for Nai to do so as well, which she did, albeit with a touch of resistance. The moon elf took her hand and moved her away from the bench before bending on one knee in front of her.

"This," he explained as he lifted a circular strap of leather out of his bag, "is my gift to you, my dear." He reached around her thigh and tightened the strap around it like a belt. Little loops stuck out from the strap, and Nai soon discovered why as Sand began pulling potions from his bag, naming them as he pushed them into the loops so that they lay flush against her outer thigh. "Invisibility. Stone skin. Healing. Death armor. Remove poison…just in case." When he'd finished, Sand stayed kneeling, his hands lightly resting on both sides of her knee as he looked up at her with worried, searching blue eyes. "It's not much, but it's all I can offer you."

Nai's lips were slightly parted, the breeze around her still as she stared down with an expression of astonishment. Although the moon elf did not realize it, his gift touched her deeply, and she showed him this by bending her face to his and drawing him into a slow, passionate kiss that took his breath away. "Diola lle," she whispered gratefully against his lips before exploring his mouth again. Sand's hand slid up her inner thigh, his fear and worry for her uncertain future kindling a desperate desire in him, but they both seemed to realize their surroundings as Nai straightened up with a regretful sigh. She glanced up at the statue of Tyr behind Sand and murmured with a wry smirk, "I don't suppose sacrilege would go over well at this point."

"Hmm…best not to risk it, I'm sure." Nai smiled down at Sand, her hand poised to touch his cheek when a loud, intentional cough interrupted them.

They turned to stare rather blankly at a curious looking Nevalle who stood with his arms crossed over his chest in the doorway. There was confusion and perhaps a touch of bemusement in his eyes as he took in the sight of Sand kneeling before the young genasi, both of his hands holding her upper thigh with her hand extended toward the elf's face.

Sand practically leaped to his feet as Nai stepped back from him, clearing his throat as he muttered, "Yes, well…just helping the girl with her armor, you know." He snatched up his bag, ignoring the smirk on the blonde knight's face, and looked hard at Nai for just a few seconds. He so badly wanted to kiss her, but he did not dare do so in front of Nasher's lapdog. "Tenna' ento lye omenta," he murmured, hoping that his affection was reflected in his tone, before he turned around to leave.

"Until next we meet," Nai echoed softly, her voice gentle and warm as a summer's breeze, and Sand's heart clenched at the sound as he left the temple.

Several hours later, Sand sat amid the bustle and noise of the Sunken Flagon and found that he could not take his eyes off the tiny air genasi who was the center of everyone's attention. She had survived, yet he could scarcely believe it. A part of him feared that it was a dream, that he would wake and find that she had fallen to the sword of that Luskan brute. Yet there she sat, her shoulder bandaged, her face weary, but definitely alive and even smiling a little at her adoring fans.

He'd almost refused to attend the Trial. In some part he believed that if he saw her fall he would not be able to keep himself from doing something very stupid, but mostly he was terrified of losing the only thing that seemed good in his life. But to not go, to not be there to support her in her time of need, would have been selfish and cruel, and so Sand had forced himself to go. He'd forced himself to watch her be lead into the arena, forced himself to listen to her proclaim herself the Champion of Ember, forced himself to sit on his hands as Lorne had vaulted across the arena toward her, forced himself to swallow his cries of anger and pain as the Luskan's sword nearly cleaved her arm from her body.

The elf could not remember how she had won. _You either blacked out or you've blocked the memory from your mind._ In the end it was not the how that mattered, it was only that she was alive. And while he was sure that it should have bothered him to see her dragged off to this celebration, forced to sit on the opposite side of the room from him while her followers fawned all over her, Sand was content just to watch her, to see with his own eyes that she was alive.

Through the fog of relief over his mind, Sand became aware that someone was watching _him_ for a change. He took his eyes off Nai long enough to sweep the room with his gaze, and discovered Duncan scowling at him from a dark doorway. _Oh, that cannot be good._ The half-elf narrowed his eyes at the wizard, who only blinked blankly at the tavern owner, and then made straight for where Nai was seated. _No, not good at all._

Nai's smile faded as her uncle leaned in to whisper in her ear and when he gently caught her under her uninjured arm, the genasi allowed him to lead her apart from the others. Sand was too far away to hope to hear them, so he nudged his familiar snoozing at his feet.

"Wake up you lazy beast," the elf hissed as the cat looked up at him with a baleful glare. "Go follow her, quick!"

The feline sighed and stretched, taking his sweet time until Sand booted him none-too-gently in the tail. As Jaral padded across the floor, Sand focused on his bond with the cat and eventually he was able to hear Nai and Duncan's voices above the general din inside the bar.

It was not exactly what he'd expected.

"…no use lying about it, Nai," Duncan looked frustrated as he chided his niece, "the truth is written all over your faces. Now I'm giving you the chance to tell me what in the Hells is really going on."

"Uncle Duncan, please. You're…."

"Now don't you lie to me! You didn't really expect me to believe that daft story you made up when you spent the night in his shop, did you? Daeghun may have gotten the lion's share of wits in the family, but damn it child, I'm no fool! Now for the sake of my sanity, just come clean with me, please."

Nai was studying her uncle with a calculating stare, and Sand was practically holding his breath as she asked in a very deliberate way, "If you did not believe what I told you, why did you go along with it?"

"Because I figured if it was worth you lying, then it must be damned important to you. I hadn't known you long…still haven't, really, but long enough to know you're not a troublemaker like some. You're entitled to your privacy, Nai, but I can't turn a blind eye any farther, short of gouging them out completely!"

Sand knew that look on Nai's face. She was about to tell him everything, and it was all he could do not to sprint toward them to stop the coming travesty. _He will kill me, if not for bedding his niece, then for lying about it for this long._

"Now," Duncan frowned at her, "are you and Sand…" the half-elf balked, then said in a rush, "are you and that eel intimate, Nai?"

"Yes."

Nai's simple answer made Sand cringe inwardly, and the expression was reflected on Duncan's face as he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. When the barkeep looked back up at Nai, he had a stern, fatherly expression on his face. _Ah, here comes the point when he lectures her for being young and foolish._ "Now listen to me, I know you're young and young people tend to walk around with their heads up their ass." _Eloquent as always. _"Hells, I was young once too, you know, and I did my share of foolhardy things in my day." _In your day? You mean yesterday?_ "Sand and I have our share of disagreements, but I've seen they way he looks at you." _Disagreements? Is that what we're calling those now? Wait…how I look at her? _"If you're just playing some game with him to get your kicks, then it'd be best to find someone else to spend your nights with." _Oh, gods, is he defending my __**honor**__?_ "There's no point in someone getting hurt over a-."

"I love him, Uncle Duncan."

A nauseating mix of elation, fear and guilt – for having listened in on this private conversation – twisted in Sand's gut, and if anyone had looked around at that moment they would have seen an identical stunned expression on the moon elf and half-elf's faces. "I…see," Duncan eventually managed. "And does he…feel the same?"

A small, sweet smile touched Nai's lips, but she said, "You'd have to ask him that yourself."

Duncan grunted and muttered, "I might have to do just that." The barkeep studied his niece for a long moment, his shoulders slumping a little. "You're happy?"

Nai looked thoughtful, a little frown creasing her forehead. "As much as I can be under the circumstances, I suppose," she answered carefully.

The half-elf sighed, his eyes drifting around the crowded tavern and Sand made a show of examining his mug of warm ale as if he had no idea what his familiar was showing him. "Why don't you go on and get some…rest." Duncan said with a significant look. "I know you're miserable being stuck here. I'll tell everyone you're off to bed so you can," he made a face but tried valiantly to hide his discomfort, "do what makes you happy."

Nai laughed at her uncle's expression and surprised him by giving him a quick hug with her uninjured arm. "Thank you," she said softly.

Sand did not wait to see what happened next, as he was suspicious that he would be Duncan's next target for a long chat, and he simply lacked the energy for such a struggle. After he slipped out the door unnoticed, Jaral at his heels, the moon elf made straight for his shop and hoped that Nai would soon follow. And she did, even faster than he'd expected.

As the door slid open silently, her white weasel snaked through the opening first and greeted Jaral noisily, but Sand only had eyes for the air genasi as she closed and leaned back against the door. Although her shoulder had been healed as soon as the battle had ended, it clearly still pained her as it was wrapped in a thin bandage, and Sand hesitated to reach for her out of fear of hurting her. It was proving difficult for him to restrain himself as all she appeared to be wearing was a thin, light robe that rippled across her body from the gentle draft of air around her.

When he did not approach, Nai moved slowly toward him, her eyes glowing brightly in her passive face while she studied Sand's expression. "You're looking at me like I'm a ghost," she murmured as she came to a stop in front of him.

The wizard's eyes drifted to her damaged limb and he replied in a voice that was unusually emotional for him, "You very nearly were."

"But I'm not," she answered with the barest hint of a smile. She looked to him at that moment to be older than when he'd first met her, as if she'd aged years in just the last few months. It was an observation that saddened him, but it made him want to protect her as well. "Touch me, Sand."

Even if he hadn't found the quiet command to be so arousing, Sand would have done as she asked just because of the _need_ he could hear in her voice. He reached out to pull her into a comforting, chaste embrace, but she would have none of that. Wrapping her hale arm around his neck and digging her fingers greedily into his hair, she dragged him into a fervent kiss, a tender sound of pleasure rising in her throat. Sand's passion quickly matched her own, and his hands roamed her body through the thin material as he explored her mouth, only stopping his assault when she flinched as he accidentally brushed her wounded shoulder.

"Dear girl, you are injured and need rest," Sand tried to insist in spite of his own desires.

"Pain is good," she murmured as she kissed him again. "Pain proves that I am alive."

Sand chuckled against her lips and whispered, "There are more pleasant sensations that can prove that as well."

Nai's voice was low and lusty, her wind tugging longingly at Sand's robes as she replied, "Show me."


	11. A Lesson in Horsemanship

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Horsemanship**

_You really have lost your mind, you know this, correct?_

Sand sighed, then gasped and clung to the saddle as the horse beneath him shifted its weight restlessly. The moon elf hated horses. He was well aware that humans were predisposed to images of elves leaping nimbly atop their sleek, noble steeds and riding as one with the magnificent beast, but he was not one of those elves. Horses were big, smelly, stubborn, insipid animals that always seemed to dislike him more than he disliked them. The one he sat upon now was no different, and proved it with a flick of its tail that stung Sand's leg even through his robes.

_She's going to tell you to go home, you know. This is very personal to her and you are acting rather like a stalker. She wouldn't even let Shandra come…not that the farm girl is more important to her than you are…is she?_

Jaral, who was curled up sleeping on the horse's rump as if it were a perfectly natural place for any cat to rest, raised his head and mewed at the wizard. "Easy for you to say," Sand muttered. "The workings of a woman's mind are far more complex than that of an animal. No offense."

The feline gave a small sigh and curled his head back under his tail. Sand had very nearly talked himself into simply heading back to his shop when the sound of another horse approaching reached his ears.

"Don't even think about trying to run off now," Nai's voice sang out before she rounded the bend. "Fara already told me you're there."

_Meddlesome beasts…_

Nai was smiling faintly as her horse trotted into view, but her expression changed to a teasing grin as she took a long look at him and reigned her horse up beside his. "You look terrified," she noted. "It's just a horse."

"It _hates_ me," Sand replied in a nervous near whisper, to which the horse nickered and tossed its head restlessly.

Nai's grin expanded into a chuckle and she shook her head as she urged her horse to move off down the road. "Well, the trip to West Harbor takes a few days even on horseback – better make friends with him."

Sand lifted an eyebrow at her retreating back for a moment, then awkwardly urged his reluctant mount onto the path beside her. "And just like that, you're going to let me come along?"

"Why wouldn't I?" she replied lightly without looking at him.

"Because…" _while we're intimate and clearly care for each other, nothing is set in stone between us and it's a rather vulnerable position I'm putting you - and myself - in by following you to your home where I will surely meet people who had - and still have - great influence over you and I would hate it if...no…no just stop right there._ "Because you wouldn't even let Shandra come. I heard her yelling in the Flagon all the way from my bedroom, you know."

"Humph," the air genasi grunted with a slight scowl, "humans are disgustingly stubborn. You'd think after growing up in a human village that I would have realized that by now, but I guess I spent far too much time with Daeghun."

"Yes, well, you can hardly blame the short-lived races for their desperate stranglehold on anything they deem worthy of value," the moon elf drawled with cold indifference. "Their lives are so fleeting that they seem to have little time to waste on patience." Nai was giving him a curious look from the corner of her eye, and it dawned on Sand that _she_ was of a short-lived race as well. He related so easily to the air genasi, and she to him, that he found himself forgetting that she was not elven, though that was more than clear from first glance. "My apologies, my dear," he murmured as the tips of his ears burned with a touch of embarrassment, "I did not mean…."

"It's alright," Nai waved him off with a mild smile. "I understand what you mean. Humans are perhaps the most difficult race to deal with, simply due to their unpredictability, Shandra being the perfect example of that. So, you're right. Besides, I'm not all that 'short-lived' really."

Sand seemed to have forgotten that he was on a smelly beast riding down a dusty road to a swamp village full of strange - and primitive - humans and one possibly hostile wild elf all for a woman he'd only known a few months but couldn't stand the thought of being apart from for even a week or two. "And that means…what exactly?"

She replied with a half-shrug as she explained, "Only that my life span will most likely be longer than a humans. I'm nearly forty-three summers old, Sand."

At that, Sand blinked dumbly. He had known she was older than she appeared, but that was hardly much to go on considering that she had such petite features, but forty-three? "My," he breathed as he pondered her words, "you appear so much younger, not even half of that by human standards."

Nodding, Nai elaborated, "Daegun said that based on my development as a child, my life will be easily twice as long as that of any human, perhaps two hundred years or more. If I don't get myself killed sooner, of course," she added wryly.

Sand was surprised by just how pleased this bit of information made him, especially considering that he'd already lived more than twice as long as her life expectancy. _Of course, all things considered, it is far more likely that she will be skewered by a stray githyanki, or swallowed whole by some dragon we stumble across than it is that she will live to a ripe old age. Still…the possibilities…._

It was at that point that Sand first realized he was thinking of their future as more than an hour from now, or a day, or a week, or a year even, but as a life together. _It's far too soon to be dwelling on such nonsense, and not only because you haven't known her long. She has this shard in her chest for some reason – whether destiny or the gods or just some stupid accident – and who knows when these things will be resolved? Quests like this have a habit of drawing themselves out for years…rushing into something deeper with her might only make things worse for both of us._ A conflict of emotions rose in him, and apparently some of them were reflected on his face.

Drawing her horse up sharply, Nai stopped in the middle of the narrow stretch of road, startling Sand out of his thoughts with her worried frown. "You don't have to come, Sand, really," she said softly, misinterpreting his expression. "I have to do this, but that's no reason for you to feel obligated to come."

"I don't," he answered seemingly too quickly, as Nai's frown immediately darkened in suspicion. Sand sighed in resignation, pushing aside his rather confused thoughts, and reached out to take her hand, for once not panicking as the horse shifted restlessly beneath him. "My dear, in case you haven't noticed, I have rather strong feelings for you. It is not a matter of obligation – it is a matter of desire."

In spite of the uncertainty that clung to her luminous blue eyes, she could not suppress a tender smile as she squeezed his hand tightly before releasing him and nudging her horse onward once more. "I'm glad to hear it," was her simple reply.

The rest of the day passed quickly, if uneventfully, and as the sun dipped low on the horizon, they decided to make camp along the shore of a quiet lake just east of the main road. "We're making excellent time," Nai informed him as she laid out her bedroll. "We should reach the inn on the outskirts of the swamps by nightfall tomorrow, barring highway robbery or kidnapping or some such nonsense."

"Mmm, yes, and speaking of which," Sand answered thoughtfully as he examined the low trees that skirted their impromptu campsite, "we should set some wards. Safety first, and all that."

Sand set about placing the wards while Nai built and lit a fire with a simple cantrip. The moon elf, never too comfortable in the open wilderness, was perhaps a touch too absorbed in his task, so he was truly startled when he turned back to the campsite to see a very naked Nai dipping her toe into the calm lake.

"As much as I'm enjoying the view," he said as he approached her with an appraising stare, "I do hope you're not seriously going into that filthy water. The gods only know what manner of leech or flesh eating virus could be living in that slime."

Nai looked like she was debating rolling her eyes at him, but she just smirked and shook her head. "You are such a snob, Sand. It's a good thing you're so easy on the eyes." Carefully she eased herself into the cold water, gooseflesh prickling across her bare skin. "Anything living in here will avoid me, I'm sure – nothing willingly gets electrocuted if it can help it."

Hmm, yes, besides me that is, right?

"Besides," she continued, her teeth clenched against the cold, "I'll sleep better without the sweat and dust all over me."

Silently acknowledging her point, Sand turned toward his pack beside the fire, but was startled by a flash of movement just outside the light of the flickering fire. _That looked like…fur._ One of the horses tethered nearby shifted nervously and stomped its foot as Sand stared at the swaying branch at the base of the nearby tree, unaware that he was holding his breath as he tried to pick a form out of the deep shadows. _You're crazy, Sand. Yes, it looked like a wolf, but that does not mean…does it? He wouldn't…would he?_

"You okay?" Nai tried to follow Sand's eyes to the brush he was staring at, but she was obviously confused by the nothing she saw there. "What's wrong?"

"I…nothing, my dear," the moon elf answered slowly as he tore his attention off the darkness and forced a smile at her. "Imagination running away with me, it seems."

Nai frowned at him, but decided to let the matter drop. As she emerged from the lake, Sand retrieved a soft towel and wrapped the shivering genasi in his arms. "Silly girl," he murmured affectionately as he rubbed her arms vigorously to try to warm her, ignoring the sometimes-intense jolts of electrical energy prickling up his fingertips even through the towel.

A warm smile tugged at the corners of her lips before she kissed him softly then moved away to dress. Seeing her clean skin exaggerated his own feeling of griminess, and so he removed his robe before crouching beside the lake to splash his face and chest. The water was near freezing, and the crisp night air took Sand's breath away, but he did his best to endure the "bath" without a fuss. _How in the Nine Hells did she manage to wash in this?_

A few hours later, Sand lay awake between the smoldering embers of their campfire and the tiny genasi curled around his side. She slept deeply, and he hoped it was because she felt safe in his arms, knowing that he would protect her while she was so vulnerable. It was an odd realization for him, becoming suddenly aware of a sense of bravery that he found emboldened him at just the merest thought of her being in danger. Not for the first time, he felt his eyes drawn to the place where he could still swear he'd seen a flash of gray fur, but just as each time before, he saw nothing.

Having neither the need for sleep nor the desire to reverie, Sand soon found his mind speculating as to what the next few days would hold for him. He tried to recall the bits and pieces Nai had told him about West Harbor, and he realized with some disappointment that he had not taken the time to research why the small village's name was so oddly familiar to him. _She's proving to be more of a distraction than you are accustomed to now isn't she?_ All he could recall besides the nagging feeling of familiarity was a few passing comments regarding her foster father – whom she described to be as different from Duncan as night and day – and the knowledge that Lorne the Luskan Brute had family there. She had also mentioned someone she called her "Master" and Sand assumed him to be some backwoods hedge wizard who had been lucky enough not to be deemed a witch and burned at the stake by the local gossips.

_Face it, the only thing you're worried about is meeting her "Father." Humans are simple, so easily charmed by even the most pathetic of elven graces, but another elf? And a wild elf at that…Mystra only knows what he will think of his only child's suitor._ Sand blinked dumbly up at the twinkling stars. _Suitor? Is that what I am? He will ask, you know. And how are you going to answer him when you yourself don't even know?_

Sand was not altogether surprised, and perhaps equal parts relieved and nervous, when the next day Nai asked him gently, "So tell me, Sand. How exactly am I to introduce you tomorrow?"

Swaying uncomfortably with the motions of his still irritable mount, Sand gave her a confused glance to stall for time. _What do I say? Try the truth, perhaps?_

"You know," Nai elaborated with a look that showed she was not buying his ruse, "to my friends and family? When they ask me why you traveled all this way with me just so I can bring a woman you've never met news of her son's death?"

"I…" Sand debated simply saying they were friends, but the way she phrased it made him see that no one would believe he, of all the arrogant, self-righteous beings, would attend such a trip for a mere "friend." With a dark chuckle, he asked absently, "I don't suppose 'lover' would go over very well, now would it?"

"Probably not," Nai replied with a small laugh of her own, but there was an unusual tension around her eyes. _This is important to her…._

"I suppose it would be best to simply call us companions," Sand offered carefully, watching her face closely. "That is what we are, my dear, and we should let people draw what conclusions they will."

Nai frowned, but did not look really that unhappy with the answer. "Deaghun won't be satisfied with that," she muttered almost too quietly for Sand to hear.

"Then what would he be satisfied with?"

Nai was clearly startled by the question, and she opened her mouth to answer, and snapped it shut again with an odd look on her face. "You know," she eventually said with a dark shake of her head, "I have absolutely no idea."

Sand smiled a little and leaned to squeeze her hand, making his horse toss its head and shift to the side nervously. "We shall find out tomorrow then, my dear," Sand tried to assure her as he adjusted his weight in the saddle and attempted to pat the lumbering beast's shoulder. His only reply was a sharp flick of the horse's tail that stung his arm and made him wish he'd just walked.


	12. A Lesson in Introductions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Introductions**

"Did you say…walk?"

"Mm-hmm," Nai answered as she plopped down gracelessly on the bed in their small room at the Weeping Willow Inn to sift through her pack.

Sand blinked at her. "As in…on foot?"

"Um…yes, that is usually how people walk, Sand."

"As in _no horses_?"

The air genasi finally stopped searching for whatever it was she sought in her bag and gave Sand a dry stare. "Yes, Sand, we're walking on foot the rest of the way. Didn't you see me pay extra to board the horses here for the next week?"

"Well yes, of course," the moon elf lied hurriedly, "but…did you _see_ all that mud on the road?"

Nai chuckled to herself and turned her attention back to her pack. "The mud is precisely the reason we have to go on foot. The road is treacherous this time of year and a horse can get mired down and trapped very easily."

_Better the horse than me._

And that very thought resounded endlessly through Sand's mind all through the next morning as they trudged through miles of slick, greenish mud covering the road. Nai walked beside him, her familiar curled around the back of her neck beneath her hood, seeming not in the least bothered by the filth accumulating on her boots and leather leggings. Jaral mewed in annoyance as Sand slipped for the countless time, jostling the cat's comfortable perch along the flat top of Sand's pack, and the wizard resentfully considered making the feline walk and suffer with him.

_I'll never get my robes clean. That stupid horse is sitting there in that nice dry stable, probably laughing at me and thinking up more cruel ways to torture me on the way back to the city._

"We're almost there," Nai's soft voice cut into his thoughts. She pointed to a structure in the distance. "That's the bunkhouse on the border of Orlen's land – he's a farmer, good man. During harvest season the hired hands sleep there." _Hmm…she's babbling…she must be nervous._ "After another mile or so we'll come to his house, and then it's only a quarter mile more to the village proper." Sand must have sighed or groaned or collapsed in a screaming fit on the ground – which he might have considered, were the ground not so disgusting – because Nai shot him an amused but sympathetic glance. "Think you can survive that far?"

"If nothing I have done for you up until this point has proved my affection for you, dear girl, then I certainly hope you see it now." Sand let out a weary sigh as he stared down at the tattered, muck covered hem of his robes. "Even my finest clothing is being sacrificed in your name."

Nai chuckled and slid her cool, slim hand into his, lacing their fingers together intimately. "You know I appreciate it, even if I'm not used to it." Seeing the questioning glance Sand sent her way, Nai clarified with uncharacteristic hesitation in her voice, "I-I just mean…I'm not used to having someone be there for me…like this."

She shifted awkwardly, but relaxed as Sand smiled a little and nodded. "I understand what you mean. It seems you and I are both accustomed to doing things on our own."

Nai admitted in a quiet voice, "I…kind of like not having to do things alone…now."

His smile widening, Sand raised her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss against her soft, tingling skin, forgetting about the mud and grime and his own misery for a moment. "I admit I'm not entirely against it either, my dear."

"Hell-o there!" Sand startled and dropped Nai's hand as they turned to see an older human man crossing a flooded field toward them. He slugged through the brackish water as if it were perfectly normal to be knee deep in the sludge. His eyes were narrowed in suspicion at first, but as soon as Nai pushed her hood back and waved, a smile broke across his craggy features. "Well, Little Nai! Welcome home lass."

The air genasi bobbed her head, a happy smile that Sand rarely saw in public spreading across her face as the human stopped at the fence line along the road and leaned in toward them. "Thank you, Orlen, it feels good to be back, even if it's only for a short visit."

"Aye, Daeghun will be pleased to see you're still in one piece," the human nodded, then turned his face toward Sand. "Who's your friend, lass?"

"Oh this is…" she hesitated for a fraction of a heartbeat, but Sand could sense the momentary lapse before she finished, "my companion, Sand. He traveled with me from Neverwinter."

Orlen touched the brim of his hat and nodded at Sand by way of greeting. "Nice to meet you – don't see too many elves around these parts."

Sand, almost weak with relief that the dirty farmer didn't expect him to shake his hand, plastered on his best diplomatic smile and said politely, "A pleasure."

Turning his attention back to Nai, Orlen's face turned grave as he said, "I'm guessing you're back here because of the Starling boy." At Nai's startled expression, he shook his head sadly and continued, "Got word of it a few days ago. A right damned shame, that is, but it seems that family's always lacked Tymora's graces."

"I…" Nai breathed, her body seeming to deflate a bit, "hadn't realized the news would travel so quickly. I wanted to tell Retta myself. She shouldn't have had to hear it through rumors."

"No, lass, I'm thinking it was better this way. She's was pretty…torn up the first day. It wouldn't have been good for her to take her grief out on you."

"How is she now?" Nai asked very softly, trying to hide the pain that flickered across her face.

"Well, I spoke with her yesterday and she seemed calm, like she'd accepted it. Besides, she knows your…history with Lorne – you wouldn't have hurt a hair on his head without a damned good reason. We harbormen stick together, but…" he shook his head again, "if Lorne was willing to defend Luskan, then the man we knew died years ago. You just killed a Luskan with the same name."

Nai closed her eyes for a moment and passed her hand wearily over her face as she processed the news. "Thank you for telling me, Orlen," she said sincerely. "Do you know…is my father at home?"

Orlen scratched his neck thoughtfully. "He went off on one of his hunting expeditions three…four days back I'd say. Should return in the next day or two most likely, but you know Daeghun. Comes and goes as he pleases."

Nai nodded and thanked the farmer again, and Sand offered another tight, rehearsed smile before they parted ways with the human and continued toward the village. "Rumor travels quickly everywhere it seems," Sand murmured as they fell into step together once more. "The more scandalous or terrible the rumor is, the faster it is perpetuated."

Looking frustrated and sad, Nai shook her head. "She shouldn't have found out like this."

Sand sighed and touched her shoulder briefly, not knowing how to respond to her in any way that would be helpful. _What's not right here is that this woman's son wanted to cleave the girl's head from her shoulders for no other reason than she was in the way. No one better blame her for defending herself._

As they approached the tiny village, Sand noticed not a single soul could be seen moving about, but Nai explained that it was normal for late morning in the swamps. Everyone was either working or doing militia training with someone she called Georg, but even so she was disappointed when there was no answer at the Starling home.

"I suppose we might as well go to Father's house," Nai sighed as she turned away from the house. "It's probably best if…."

"Well now, if it isn't my wayward apprentice come back from the big city." Nai started to smile as Sand turned around to face a balding human dressed in wizard's robes standing behind him, but the man ignored him and watched the air genasi with a caustic smirk. "My goodness what _are_ you wearing?"

Nai looked down at her armor and shrugged, still grinning, before she said, "Robes aren't very effective at keeping my limbs from being severed from my body, Master. So I changed tactics a bit."

"So it would seem," the man drawled. "Since you are here and in one piece, I'll assume that change has worked out for you." He studied her coolly for a short pause, but couldn't hide the faint smile that turned up his lips. "It is good to see you are well...just don't tell anyone I said that."

"Thank you Master Tarmas," Nai answered.

Irritated at being forgotten, Sand jostled Nai's elbow, prompting her to make a quick, embarrassed introduction. "Oh, forgive me, this is Tarmas. He's lived in West Harbor for many years and I was his apprentice for a time. And this is Sand. We…met in Neverwinter."

As the human turned his eyes onto Sand for the first time, a strange mixture of feelings flashed across Tarmas' face – _was that fear?_ – but was gone so quickly that Sand wondered if he'd imagined it. "A pleasure to meet you," the human wizard said stiffly. He did not offer his hand.

"And you as well," Sand replied levelly, but he was beginning to think there was something familiar about the man. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why…it was something about the man's eyes….

Nai seemed oblivious to any tension as she said, "Master, we're going to unpack at Daeghun's house, but I was wondering…did you…keep Amie's things?"

Tarmas had been staring expressionlessly at Sand while the air genasi spoke, but he tore his gaze off the moon elf at the mention of his other former apprentice. "Yes, I haven't had the time or desire to clear out her room," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"There was…a book that I lent her before she…" Nai frowned, saddened by the sudden topic of a friend she'd thought of so infrequently in recent days, "before she was killed. I was hoping to get it back. It…would be a nice way to remember her."

"Certainly," the mage replied, his eyes once more flickered to Sand's face before he motioned for them to follow. "Come."

Sand frowned at the human's back, desperately trying to place the strange nagging familiarity. Normally he would have dismissed the feeling – if I cannot place him, he was obviously of little importance – but the way Tarmas kept glancing at him was making Sand nervous.

As they entered the small home that reeked of dormant magic and spell components, Tarmas waved his hand vaguely and said, "You know where her room is – go ahead, girl."

"Thank you, Master," Nai said, flashing a quick smile at Sand before she disappeared through a doorway.

Sand didn't even have time to turn back toward the human before he heard the words of a protective arcane spell being murmured. Sand retreated several steps as a shimmering shield formed around Tarmas' body and the human snatched a wicked looking staff from along the wall, the crystal at the top glowing a fiery red. "I will not let you take me back!" Tarmas hissed, his eyes filled with anger and fear. "Not now, not after all this time!"

"Back?" Sand's mouth said even as his mind was working out the exact order in which to begin casting his spells. The fact that Nai seemed to like this human was the only reason Sand hesitated at all. "I assure you, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"You lie! You were always Narren's puppet, fawning at her feet – do not tell me you are here without her blessing!"

Sand blanched at the mention of that name. _Narren_. How long had it been since he'd thought of her? But…who is this man to Narren? "Oh…gods…" Sand breathed in disbelief as the man's familiarity slowly came into focus. "Demin?"

"Not anymore," the mage said indignantly. "I am my own man now, no longer my mother's slave, and you can tell her to go straight to the Hells!"

A faint, bitter smile tugged at the corners of Sand's mouth, causing confusion to flash across the human's face. "Believe me, dear boy, I have already done so."

Tarmas scowled, but doubt flickered behind the anger in his eyes. "You…expect me to believe that you are not here to return me to Luskan? That this is a mere coincidence?"

Chuckling coldly, Sand opened his mouth to respond, but both men noticed at the same time that Nai was watching them from the doorway of Amie's room. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she leaned there casually, but there was cold fury written in her eyes. "Oh, do continue," she said icily with a grand sweep of her arm. "I am most anxious to hear more of this."


	13. A Lesson in Identity

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

* * *

**A Lesson in Identity**

Tarmas' eyes flickered uncertainly from Nai's face to Sand's face and back again. "This elf is a Luskan snake," the human said tensely, still brandishing his staff. "You cannot trust a word from his mouth, girl."

Sand snorted. "At least I was not born and bred there. One might say that deception and backstabbing is in your blood, hmm? Especially when one considers the womb which spawned you."

Nai shot him a look before turning back to her Master. "Please believe me, Sand is not here for you."

"How can you be sure? He could have been using you all along."

Nai's smile was dry and forced. "Because I _know_. He's been living in Neverwinter for nearly four decades now, Master."

The human mage relaxed ever so slightly, his eyes guarded but now uncertain as he watched the moon elf and slowly lowered his staff. "This…seems rather convenient for a coincidence…."

"Convenient for whom?" Sand muttered to himself.

"Look," Nai said impatiently as she stepped fully between the two men. "I think you'd better tell me what exactly is going on here, because I've really, _really_ had my fill of Luskan men recently, and I'm just not sure how many more of these surprises I can handle."

Tarmas hesitated for a moment, then sighed and dispelled the shield around his body. "It seems it's true what they say," he murmured tiredly as he slumped down on a high stool beside his desk. "Your past always catches up with you."

"You are from Luskan," Nai stated rather than asked.

"Yes," the mage answered, his eyes staring unfixed at the floor as if he were lost in memories, "though it has been nearly forty years since I walked its streets."

"Forty?" The air genasi shared a glance with Sand, but the moon elf was careful to keep his emotions off of his face. "So the two of you left around the same time?"

"Oh, I did not leave," Tarmas said with bitterness in his voice, "not in the way I think you mean it at least. I was sent on a mission…by my mother."

"And…Sand knew your mother?" Nai's glowing eyes burned into Sand's face as she waited for the answer. _Oh of course she would latch onto that, now wouldn't she? Well, can you really blame her? Gods know you'd do the same in her shoes._

Tarmas snorted and gave Sand a look that most people used on lice-ridden vermin. "He more than knew her. He was her pet, her little plaything, her…distraction."

"Her lover." Still Nai stared at Sand, her face unreadable, but the cold tone in her words was unmistakable.

The human laughed scornfully and shook his head at her. "Silly girl and your romantic notions. He spread my mother's legs out of a lust for power and control, not out of anything remotely like love."

Nai might have blushed at such a statement had it not shocked her so much to hear it from her Master's mouth. A dark smile twisted the corner of Sand's mouth as he purred, "Ah, yes…"

_Sand…what are you doing…?_

"…and your mother was always so eager…"

_What in the Hells are you thinking?! Stop talking!_

"…to spread those pretty legs…"

_Oh, gods, really? Nai is standing right there!_

"…for any man…"

_Oh, you're really making yourself look good you know._

"…with even an iota of influence within Luskan. You must be such a proud son, really."

_Well done…idiot._

Tarmas' jaw flexed as he narrowed his eyes at Sand, but the moon elf's eyes did not waver from the human – or rather, he dared not look anywhere else for fear of meeting Nai's gaze. Even several feet from her, Sand could feel the icy air currents blowing off her skin, and he knew she was furious. "Years ago," Tarmas began in a measured voice, "I would have unmanned you for such a statement. Even with a simpering serpent like you in her bed, my mother could do no wrong in my eyes."

"Ah, so time and distance have changed your tune then, hmm?" Sand smiled mockingly. "Given you a different perspective on what your mother truly was then?"

"You were no better," the mage replied calmly. "I was no better. But…that was the Luskan way, wasn't it? I suppose it's foolish to say those who are born there don't know any better than to be what they see all around them…but a part of me hopes there is some truth in that." Tarmas' eyes went distant once more, and Sand chanced to glance at Nai and saw that she was frowning worriedly at her Master.

"How did you come to be here?" she asked softly.

"My mother," Tarmas began with obvious reluctance, not looking at either of them, "sent me on my first true assignment." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Sand for a moment. "I believe it was only days after you were sent on some task as well…I remember because Mother was in a foul mood."

_She was in a foul mood because she'd just realized that I had been playing her for a fool for years. Ah, what I wouldn't give to have seen the look on her face…it must have been glorious. _Although he managed to curb his tongue this time, Sand could not keep the satisfied smirk off his face.

Tarmas shrugged and continued. "There was rabid curiosity in Luskan regarding one known as the King of Shadows, but since most of his activities had taken place on Neverwinter's soil, gleaning knowledge about him was nearly impossible. My mother had arranged that I travel into our enemy's land and…blend in."

Nai's lips were pressed into a thin line, a look of betrayal behind her eyes. "Well…you've done a marvelous job of tricking everyone, haven't you?"

The mage almost looked amused as he studied his former apprentice for a pause then shook his head ruefully. "Silly girl. My mother's plan _failed_. I was ambushed on the road, my guards slaughtered to the last man. Dozens of them fell to my spells, but it was not enough…they just kept coming."

"Who ambushed you?" Nai asked.

Tarmas shrugged again. "I'm not sure. Brigands, perhaps…but they were well organized, and they were many. I…stopped theorizing about it years ago."

_Yes, because you must suspect that they were sent from Luskan, perhaps by your dearest mother herself?_ Sand clamped his teeth down on his tongue so hard that he feared he would taste blood soon.

"They left me for dead along the roadside," the human mage continued. "The next thing I heard was the sound of a crying babe, and then I awoke in your father's home, my head pounding, but otherwise alive."

"Daeghun saved you?" Nai shook her head in wonderment, then asked, "But weren't the villagers suspicious of you? Most harbormen are not exactly warm and inviting to strangers."

Tarmas' smile was bittersweet as he answered. "Oh, they were most certainly wary, that's for sure. Especially since I had no memory of who I was."

Nai blinked. "You mean…amnesia? This is all starting to sound a bit…."

"Contrived?" Tarmas laughed humorlessly. "Believe me, girl, I've thought the same myself many times before."

"Oh, gods," Sand groaned, unable to keep silent any longer. "Because it _was_ contrived, but not by you fool boy."

"Sand…" Nai warned, but the moon elf paid her no heed.

"Your mother did not _fail_ in her plans, she _succeeded_, and beyond her normal capacity at that. Allow me to venture a guess…you lived here for years, four or five perhaps?" Sand's voice was mocking, almost cruel, as he sneered at the human. "Then one day you were doing nothing in particular and your memories came rushing back to you."

Tarmas stared at him expressionlessly, but his voice was strained when he answered, "How could you know that?"

Sand snorted in disgust. "Because it's exactly what your mother wanted! She arranged for the attack on you – convenient that you were the only one to survive, hmm? – so that you would be able to acclimate believably to life in this village. Your attackers cast a spell to repress your memories for a time, but they knew you would eventually need to know who you were and why you were here. You've done exactly what your mother wanted. And…" Sand eyed Tarmas critically, "I think you already knew that."

Tarmas' face hardened, his eyes cold as he looked from one to the other of them before he sighed defeatedly. "I…don't mean anyone any harm. I am not loyal to Luskan, not anymore."

"Oh, that I believe," Sand chuckled. "The only loyalty you ever had was to your mother, and she's been dead a very long time."

Tarmas paled, thought he did not look truly surprised, and asked hoarsely, "How?"

Sand's eyes narrowed at him, weighing something in his mind before he answered. "Murdered by a rival. It is the Luskan way, after all."

Tarmas sighed and ran his hand wearily over his face, his appearance haggard. Sand startled as Nai's fingers suddenly dug into his arm, pulling him toward the door. "I think we'd better leave you to yourself for now, Master," she said softly. "May I come and speak with you later?"

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Tarmas nodded weakly without looking up, and Nai practically dragged Sand out the door behind her. Once outside, Nai rounded on him, a storm of emotions swirling in her pale blue eyes, anger at the forefront. Sand braced himself for her wrath, but all she asked quietly was, "How did she really die?"

_I probably shouldn't find it so attractive that she sees right through my lies, but gods she's beautiful right now…so defiant and demanding. Okay, stop that, she asked you a question._

"If you are certain you wish to know…" he began, and Nai nodded sharply as she led him through the silent village. "Narren was the heir of a very powerful family. When I left Luskan for Neverwinter, I was spying on Narren for a rival of hers…or, so the rival believed. I had vast amounts of information about her family, their holdings, their activities in Neverwinter and elsewhere. That information was my biggest bargaining chip with Nasher.

"It was…only a few months after I'd settled in Neverwinter when I got word. Narren had poisoned her family – her two young daughters and her aging mother included – and then herself as well." Sand gave Nai a hard look, for once foregoing all sarcasm as he said, "She preferred to die than be disgraced."

Nai looked at him wordlessly, disbelief and worry written on her face. _She's wondering why she trusts you. And after everything you've done, how can you blame her for that? _Sand felt a twist of guilt and bitterness, but shoved the emotions aside as quickly as they had come. _Maybe I should have written her that autobiography after all and gotten all of this out of the way in one fell swoop._


	14. A Lesson in Discovery

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

**A/N:** It's been months and months since I updated this story, and I'm sorry about that. I'm even more sorry to say I have no idea when I'll get time to work steadily on it again, though I would love to finish it up eventually. I'm swamped in a mod project at the moment that requires a lot more focus than I'm used to giving any one thing, but I keep thinking about this story so obviously my muse isn't going to let me get away with not finishing it. What will probably happen is this story will get sporadic updates from now on, and I'll do my best not to let so long pass between chapters. :) Thank you all for reading, and for the reviews.

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**A Lesson in Discovery**

Sand was miserable – again – as he waited alone inside the tiny cabin, pacing restlessly. _There seems to be a fine line between anguish and bliss when love is involved. I might call such phenomena intriguing were it not my life on the emotional chopping block. _

Daeghun's home was, as expected, barely more than a dusty, two-story shack with bedrooms the size of broom closets, but Sand was slightly relieved that it was somewhat tidy and blessedly free of vermin. Nai had barely said two words to him since their scene with her "Master" and Sand was disappointed when she'd insisted on leaving him behind for the remainder of the day.

"I need to speak with Tarmas alone," she'd said gravely, her eyes very carefully neutral, "and then I'll try to track down Retta. Father won't be home for another day at least, so just wait here. I'll be back soon."

She'd walked out before he'd even half-formed his protest, and left Sand staring forlornly at the rough wooden door. Jaral and Fara, oblivious to their companion's woes, scampered to a pile of furs in the corner by the cold fireplace and busied themselves with grooming one another. Sand stopped pacing and glared at them jealously for a moment, then sighed and headed upstairs to unpack a few things, namely a fresh robe that did _not_ have seven pounds of mud on the hem.

Nai's room was so small, Sand wondered how the two of them would manage to share the space for the next few days, never mind sleeping together on the cot she called a bed. _Not that she'll have any interest in sleeping with you after all this mess._ The walls were bare, free of decorations or non-essentials, but for a small, silver looking-glass on her dresser that seemed decidedly out of place in the bare room. Sand picked up the mirror carefully and turned it over, not surprised to see the delicate design was most certainly elven.

"Esmerelle," he murmured aloud as his fingers traced over the faded elven characters carved into the upper arch of the frame. _Must be some relative of her foster father._

His curiosity now peaked – and figuring there was nothing more he could possibly do to upset Nai more than she currently was – Sand set the mirror down and proceeded to snoop around. He almost gagged at the dusky, moldy scent of her dresser drawers, and quickly decided there was probably nothing worth finding among the forgotten clothes she'd left behind when she set out on her journey to Neverwinter.

Frowning, he scanned the room, wracking his brain for ideas as to where a young woman might hide her more private possessions. He checked under the mattress, tapped the floor for loose boards, even stood on the bed to search for anything hidden in the rafters. _Nothing. Either she led one boring childhood or she's quite good at hiding the evidence of her past._

Unable to sit still now that his curiosity had control of him, Sand found himself standing in front of Daeghun's door without really realizing how he'd gotten there. Nai's respect for the wild elf who had raised her was obvious when she spoke of him, but Sand's natural suspicions made him want to see for himself. After all, if Daeghun were so perfect, why would he have lied about so many facts of Nai's past? _ And I don't buy all that "he's doing it for my own good" garbage._

The wild elf's room was almost as sparse as Nai's, the small bed looking as though it hadn't been slept in for months. In fact, a thin layer of dust covered everything, leaving Sand worried that he might leave behind noticeable footprints as evidence of his intrusion, but he decided he didn't care when he spotted a small framed picture of some kind lying on Daeghun's bed. _The dust has been brushed off the glass…_

Sand lifted the picture and squinted in the dim light, unable to clearly decipher what his keen eyes were seeing. Retreating toward the doorway and the light from the hall lamp, Sand studied the faded, aging sketch of three young elves. The male in the center looked serious and stoic, but the rather talented artist who'd created the image had captured the light of happiness and contentment in his eyes. The elf's arms were around a lovely female standing to his right, her smile warm and kind, and on his left stood another female elf whom immediately struck Sand as familiar. She had an almost arrogant tilt to her head, her lips barely turned up in the faintest suggestion of a smile, and her eyes were dark and mysterious.

It took him several heartbeats to realize he was gazing at Nai's mother.

The moon elf wandered mindlessly back to Nai's room, the picture still in his hands, and sank down to sit on the edge of her bed. He was still there, staring off, when Nai returned over an hour later. "By the gods, Sand," she shook her head as she leaned tiredly again the doorframe, though her expression implied bemusement, "have you no shame? Breaking into Father's room?"

"There was no breaking involved, I assure you, my dear," he said with more poise than he'd expected given how surprised he still felt. Slowly he rose and crossed the small distance between them, tilting the picture so that she could see it. Nai's eyes did not stray from his face and he had the impression she'd seen the picture so many times that the image was burned into her mind. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Nai frowned. "Tell you?"

"That you are elven, dear girl."

"_Half_-elven, Sand," she said with a self-deprecating little laugh. "I didn't realize it mattered." She tilted her head uncertainly. "_Does_…it matter?"

"Yes," Sand said immediately, then, "no. I mean…" _does it? _

The air genasi lifted one delicate hand and lightly traced the angle of his cheek, her eyes set with sadness. "I means nothing, Sand. I am not an elf. I cannot reverie. I have no connection to the Spirit. There is no Arvandor waiting for me when this body expires. I am what I am."

Sand had never heard her voice sound so hollow, but as she spoke he understood. _It is easier for her to ignore the part of her that is elven. How difficult must it have been for her, growing up with an elven father, knowing her mother was an elf but she could never have that connection to them…and now she is with me…_ "I am sorry," he found himself saying as he took her hand from his cheek and held it in his own. "I did not think…"

"It's okay," she interrupted with a faint, forced smile. "I'm a big girl, Sand. I can handle it."

Sand started to respond to that, then thought better of it. Gently, the young woman extracted her hand from his grasp, then took the picture from his other hand. Sand stood awkwardly in the hallway as she returned the object to her foster father's room. "You know," he called out when she did not immediately reappear, "it seems all I've been good for lately is upsetting you, dear girl."

Nai was smiling to herself when she emerged from Daeghun's room, and most of the sadness had slipped from her eyes. "Isn't that what people who care about each other are supposed to do? Get under each others' skin?"

Sand chuckled and wished he could put his arms around her, but he couldn't read anything from her expression. "I _am _sorry," he said. _Gods, how many times must I repeat that phrase? _ "Perhaps I should have that tattooed on my chest to save myself the trouble of having to repeat it so often."

"And ruin your lovely skin?" Nai teased. "You wouldn't dare." There was a pause, the pair of them looking at each other, gauging each other, then she answered the unspoken question on his mind, "Yes. I did speak with Tarmas, and he will be fine. You seemed to have dredged up memories he thought long past, but perhaps that is for the best."

Sand moved a step closer, finally daring to touch her softly on her shoulder. _She has yet to electrocute you. That's a good sign. _ "My dear, those things I said before, I…"

"Don't worry," Nai's lips twisted in wry amusement, "I know." Her face fell back into a melancholy mask as she stared unseeing as Sand's chest. "As for Rhetta…I will be at her home this evening. I'm sorry, but I think it's better if I do this alone. It was hard enough…just seeing her…"

"Are you certain?" Sand's hand shifted to cradle her cheek as he studied her sharply. "I am here for _you_, you know."

"Yes, but this my burden to bear."

"Very well," Sand sighed without bothering to hide his disappointment.

"Don't look so put out," Nai chided. "I'll be back by nightfall and then tomorrow I'd like…" she faded off, her eyes everywhere but his face until he urged her to speak. "I don't know if you will agree or even care, but…I'd like to show you around the village…the places I grew up…"

_Mystra, she is adorable in these rare moments of uncertainty. She seems so fragile._ "Dear girl, as much as I loathe the dirt and muck and inordinate amount of insects that choose to dwell here, I am willing to ignore it all to learn more about you. I will most assuredly accompany you."

"I'm glad to hear that," she answered with obvious relief.

"Do not expect me to keep my complaints to myself…"

"Certainly not."

"…but I am eager to learn more about the place that has shaped you into such a remarkable creature." Sand's brow creased in thought for a moment, then he mused, "You know, your mixed heritage explains much about you."

"Does it?" Nai stepped away from him and Sand followed her into her room, watching her for a moment as she sorted through her pack to find a set of fresh clothes. "Care to be more specific?"

"For one, your grasp of our language. Some of your mannerisms as well." Unable to help himself, Sand crossed the small room to catch her hands in his own as she began to unbuckle her armor. "And of course your beauty," he murmured with such sincerity that Nai could only blink in open-mouthed surprise. Thin tendrils of energy wormed up the moon elf's arms and for a moment he felt choked by the fear that he'd pushed her away, kept her at arm's length in so many ways. _You're not likely to change your ways completely, Sand old boy, but if you intend to stay in her company, you should probably let her see more of how you really feel once in a while._

Avoiding the genasi's eyes, Sand set about unbuckling her armor, his touch light and chaste as he helped her from the grimy leather without a single complaint. "I'll fetch you some water so you can wash," the wizard said with a tender look at her delicate features.

Nai caught his hand before he could turn, then buried her face in his chest as a tremor shook her and Sand wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She did not cry, but simply stayed within the circle of his arms, drawing comfort from him. "Thank you," she said in a voice that was strained and made a lump form in Sand's throat.

"It is my pleasure," he whispered into her softly tingling hair.

After Nai had left for the evening, Sand sat in a worn chair in the den staring into the flickering fire in the hearth. He felt his eyes drawn to his feline companion as Jaral dutifully groomed Fara's face and shoulders. "You make it look so easy," the elf muttered aloud, though the amusement outweighed the weariness in his voice.

The cat's only answer was a bored look and a sigh before he returned to his task. With an air of resignation, Sand relaxed into the chair to wait for his lover's return, hoping that the next day of slogging through slime and swarms of bugs would be better than this day had turned out to be.


	15. A Lesson in Timing

**A/N:** Been a while again - it's driving me crazy that this is the only project I've never completed, sooo hopefully I will start updating again. Just a reminder...this story is meant to be silly and fun for the most part. Please don't take it too seriously. Thanks for reviews. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Sand, NWN2, or any events/dialogs/etc and so on besides my lovely little Nai Farlong and her familiar, Fara.

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**A Lesson in Timing**

"Fascinating."

"I thought you might say that." Nai stepped gingerly through the ruins, obviously pleased with herself as Sand intently studied some faded etchings on one of the walls. For the past few days, he'd surprised her with his willingness to hang around the boring village and make idle chat with people he clearly had nothing in common with. He knew she'd brought him out to these crumbling ruins as a sort of reward for his efforts. "See, not everything here is mud and bugs."

Sand snorted, but was too absorbed in his examinations to think up a witty reply. "You said this door cannot be opened?"

"No. There's no keyhole or handle or any other obvious means, and magical attempts have all failed."

"So I see." Sand ran one hand over the hard, carved surface of the door, frustrated to have to reign in his raging curiosity. _What can possibly be inside?_

Nai stepped up beside him, her glowing eyes drifting over the door as well. "Do you know anything about these ruins? Recognize any of the markings?"

Sand shook his head and sighed. "As I've said before, I am a mage, not a historian. I may have seen some of these before, but…no, nothing stands out."

They both gave the ruins one last, long look before turning away. "Well, thank you for coming all the way out here," Nai said as they fell into step beside each other on the narrow path.

"It's a fascinating mystery," Sand admitted, his mind still mulling over some of the markings that looked vaguely familiar. "Do you believe these ruins are connected to the sword in some way?"

"I don't know." Nai shrugged, but there was something anxious about her expression. "It seems…convenient that they are here, so close to the village, and that Daeghun hid the shard nearby…I don't know. It's all just speculation."

"Don't worry yourself about it," Sand tried to soothe. _Hard to comfort someone's worries when you share them. There is something far too convenient about everything in Nai's life._

Nai offered him a slight smile and after a pause, her expression shifted to almost playful. "You know, there's another reason I dragged you out here where we can be alone…"

The corner of Sand's mouth curled up in a knowing smirk, but he immediately answered, "I certainly hope you aren't suggesting a romp in the mud, my dear. Despite the temptation, I'm afraid I'll have to decline." _By Mystra it is tempting, though…especially when she wears that look…_

Nai's smile widened and she lengthened her stride. "Just follow me."

"Hmm, why do I have a bad feeling about this…?" Sand half-lied.

Not long later, he found himself standing on the bank of a clear, sparkling creek not too far from the village, his jaw wagging open like a love-sick youth.

_The girl is completely insane. She is stark raving mad, Sand, and dragging you down with her!_

_Now you're just being dramatic…_

_Oh really? Then please provide another explanation as to why she is standing completely naked in the middle of the woods! And furthermore, why are __**you**__ considering joining her?_

_I am most certainly __**not**__ considering it…by the gods she does look…so…unbelievably…_

_You cannot be serious! What are you now, a wild elf? Are you going to start painting your face and shunning the civilized world and wearing ratty animal skins that smell very much like the carcasses they are?! Sand? Are you even __**listening**__ to me?_

_I don't know if I've ever really taken the time to look at her body…her skin is so smooth, and that color…not to mention her…_

_Gods. Obviously I'm not getting through to you. Go ahead, Sand! Tell the one logical piece of your mind left to shut up! Get it over with already!_

Sand didn't get the chance to tell himself to shut up because the smile Nai flashed at him over her bare shoulder as she waded deeper into the wide creek all but erased his capacity for rational thought. "Are you okay, Sand?" the air genasi questioned with a look of mock concern, then reached down to cup a handful of water and letting it trickle down her shoulder. Sand's eyes were glued to the tiny rivulets that slid down her skin, clinging to her gentle curves. "You look…troubled."

"Yes, well," Sand began a bit breathlessly, then cleared his throat to try to speak more evenly but found he could not find any words. _Gods above, how did you end up in these situations?_

"No sharp-tongued reply?" she simpered, her pale eyes shining brightly. "My goodness, Sand, we'll have to do this more often. Aren't you going to join me?"

Sand cleared his throat again and somehow managed to convince his eyes to look at her face instead of her rear. "My dear, you are almost tempting enough to make me forget that I've seen what you do to creatures who bathe near you," he answered, referring to her electrical aura. It was not unusual to see a dead fish or two after she bathed.

"And here I thought you trusted me," she teased. Turning to face him, she gave him a long, lingering stare, then dipped her head back to wet her hair, arching her body in a way that made Sand's breath hitch in his throat. With a self-satisfied grin, she straightened and smoothed her silvery hair between her delicate fingers. "Don't worry. I can control myself, Sand. As long as you don't give me any reasons to lose control, of course…"

_But that is __**exactly**__ what I intend to give you, dear girl._

Nai sighed when he did not answer and stepped a little closer to him, the water barely covering her below her navel, and attempted to pout. "Please?" It was not an expression she was very good at, but the droplets of water dripping from her hair to run little lines down her chest, between her breasts, and over the flat plane of her stomach was all Sand could handle.

He wasn't even sure how he'd managed to shed his robe so quickly, but Nai laughed to herself and flashed him a wide smile. "Bring me a washrag from my pack," she called as he tripped up the small rise beside the creek and dumped his robe and pack beside hers, behind an old gnarled tree.

He was fumbling with the ties of his breeches and chiding himself for being as crazy as Nai when he felt it – a tingling fear raced up the back of his neck.

His hands froze and his eyes darted up, and time ground to a halt as he found himself staring down the shaft of a wicked looking arrow. _Bishop._ That was the first name that screamed through his mind, but his sharp blue eyes focused beyond the arrowhead and he was struck with an equal measure of relief and terror.

"Mani naa lle umien? Ya naa lle?" Daeghun's voice was as low, cold and rough as Sand had imagined, and edged with a dangerous anger. He was taller than Sand, though that in itself was no great feat, but he had an intimidating air about him, something unpredictable behind the calm outward appearance. And his eyes – hooded by shadows and almost as black – spoke of experiences and wisdom centuries beyond Sand's own. The wild elf's stubborn but neutral expression did not shift, but his voice was tinged with impatience when he spoke again. "Quen!"

"I-I…my name is Sand," he answered in trembling elvish. _Oh this is just lovely, meeting Daeghun like this. Half naked with his completely naked daughter just around down the hill, and stuttering like a fool!_ "I-I…you have very bad timing."

"Sa-and?" Nai's lazy drawl carried to him from the creek below and he cringed. Daeghun's almost black eyes narrowed, but his grip on the taut bowstring didn't waver in the least. "Did you get lost?"

"Just a moment, dear girl," he said in a voice that tried to be calm but was pinched and tight despite his best effort. _And why did you have to call her that? Are you mad?! Look at how he's staring at you now!_

Daeghun's expression had not changed except perhaps in Sand's imagination. "Is it another snake?" Sand thought Nai's voice sounded closer, but he couldn't be sure and he dared not do anything aside from stare back at Daeghun's piercing eyes. "I told you, they'll leave you alone if you – oh!"

Nai came around the tree, and from the edge of his vision, Sand watched her eyes widen in shock. "Father!" With a muttered oath, the air genasi dove for the closest thing to cover herself – which just happened to be Sand's robe. "You…you're back!"

Daeghun shifted his gaze to his foster daughter, his expression still neutral aside from the coldness in his eyes. "As are you. Nae saian luume'."

Nai bobbed her head and started to answer, but Sand cut in nervously. "I am loath to interrupt this reunion, but is there a chance you can aim your arrow elsewhere?" When Daeghun's eyes snapped back to him, Sand swallowed hard. "I-I tend to get all out of sorts when my life is in jeopardy."

"It's okay, Father," Nai said. "This is Sand. He's my…lover."

_So much for 'companions.'_

The wild elf stared levelly at the smaller moon elf for what felt like ages. "Manka lle merna,"he finally said, returning the arrow to his quiver and slinging the bow over his shoulder as if nothing had happened. It was all Sand could do to keep from melting into a puddle on the ground in relief.

Silence fell over the three of them. "Well…" Sand cleared his throat and glanced down at himself, then over at Nai still wrapped in his robe. "This isn't a bit awkward, now is it?"

The looks he received from both Nai and Daeghun made the moment all the worse. _As if that's even possible._

"We'll meet you back at the house," Nai suggested more than said to Daeghun. "We've been there for a few days, hoping to catch you before we have to return to Neverwinter. We can talk then. Perhaps over dinner?"

Daeghun nodded once. "Tenna' san',"he said over his shoulder, then gave Sand one last icy stare before he melted into the forest and disappeared from sight.

Sand's knees finally gave out and he found himself slumped at the base of the tree, staring blankly at the moss growing across the gnarled roots. "Well," Nai chuckled, though there was a new tension in her voice even as she tried to tease, "that could have gone better."

"An understatement," Sand muttered without looking up. "I can hardly imagine how it could have gone worse."

"Oh, I can." She smirked as she let his robe fall away and pool in a pile on the ground between them, bringing Sand out of his daze enough for him to look up at her. "You could have been completely naked, or you could have been in the water with me already…or we could have been…"

"Enough!" The moon elf lurched to his feet, snatching his robe as he went and wrapping it haphazardly around her. "He could still be watching!" he hissed.

Nai's laughter rang out bright and pleasant, a sound so rare that Sand relaxed and stared down at her with a softening expression. The genasi rose up on her toes and brushed a faintly electrical kiss across his lips. "So, I guess this means you're not in the mood anymore," Nai teased breathlessly.

With an irritated sigh, Sand stepped back from her and pleaded, "Just get dressed."

Nai's pale eyes shone with amusement as another laugh bubbled up from her throat.


End file.
